Cleco workers restore power to more customers since morning update
Customers urged not to remove trees from power lines

PINEVILLE, La. – Sept. 3, 2020 – As of noon today, Cleco had restored power to roughly 113,838, or 81 percent, of the 140,000 customers affected by Hurricane Laura.  At 8 a.m., that number was 112,776.

“The numbers continue to improve daily, and as of this morning, we’ve even surpassed the workforce we had during Hurricane Katrina restoration,” said James Lass, director of distribution operations and emergency management.  “Cleco now has 4,200 internal and external resources dedicated to Hurricane Laura restoration efforts.  This includes employees, line contractors, tree trimmers from about 16 states and logistic resources.”

As progress continues, Cleco reminds customers to stay away from downed trees with power lines that may be on or near their property.

“Don’t attempt to remove a tree from a power line because the line may not be grounded and de-energized,” said Lass.  “If the line is not de-energized, this could cause serious injuries or death.  No one should ever assume that a power line is dead.  Never, ever touch downed power lines.”

Please watch and share the attached video showing this electrical hazard.  The power line shown in the video is grounded and de-energized.

Below are customer outages by parish as of noon:

Percentages are based on total customers affected by Hurricane Laura; not Cleco’s total customer base.

For additional information on Cleco’s storm restoration efforts, follow the company on Facebook @ClecoPower or visit Cleco’s Storm Center page at cleco.com/storm-center.