PINEVILLE, La. – Cleco crews are continuing restoration efforts following severe wind and rain which swept across central Louisiana last night.

“Since 9 p.m. last night, Cleco crews have been cleaning debris and working to restore power to customers affected by the storm,” said James Lass, general manager of distribution operations and emergency management.

At 11:30 a.m., Cleco had approximately 6,000 customers without power in central Louisiana. Approximately 4,500 of those customers are in Rapides Parish, 600 in Avoyelles Parish and 1,000 in Grant Parish.

“We have secured additional contractor line mechanics to assist with our restoration efforts,” said Lass. “As we continue to assess damages, we will request additional resources as needed. This will likely be a multiple day restoration event.”

Cleco will provide additional updates throughout the day as they become available. Follow the utility’s Facebook page at @ClecoPower and check the outage map at outage.cleco.com.

Cleco reminds customers to stay away from downed power lines and any object they are touching. Report unsafe electrical situations to 911 or Cleco at 1-800-622-6537.