Pineville, La. (9 p.m.) Cleco continues its restoration efforts following Tropical Storm Olga. At peak, the company had 28,000 customers without power.  Crews will work through the night to restore power to all customers who can take power and expect over 99 percent will be restored tonight. 

“First and foremost, thank you to our customers for their patience, and to our Cleco crews and contractor crews for their hard work and dedication over the last couple of days,” said James Lass, general manager of distribution operations and emergency management.  “The storm caused extensive damage to Cleco’s system and equipment, including damage to substations, broken poles and crossarms, and downed wire.  In addition to system and equipment damage, our crews encountered impassable or closed roads due to debris which also proved challenging to our restoration efforts.”  

Immediately following the storm, in addition to local Cleco resources, the company secured Cleco personnel from unaffected areas, as well as brought in contractors to assist with damage assessments, clean-up, repairs and restoration efforts.  

“At the end of the day, we couldn’t predict the damage the storm would bring, but we were prepared with the workforce, materials and equipment necessary to restore power quickly and safely,” said Lass.  

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