For Louisiana, hurricane season is June 1 to November 30. However, storms can occur at any time during the year, so Cleco is prepared to respond to power outages year round. Cleco subscribes to multiple weather services to help our customers prepare before a storm hits, and the company uses multiple
platforms to communicate with customers during storms, including cleco.com, social media, TV and radio news outlets.
Hurricane Francine Updates
Sept. 10, 2024, 3:30 p.m.
- Cleco continues its storm preparation efforts, as Francine strengthens.
- The storm is projected to make landfall Wednesday, Sept. 11 as a hurricane along Louisiana’s Gulf Coast.
- Click here for the latest press release.
Some Cleco customer service offices will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 11
- Due to Francine, the following Cleco customer service offices will be closed Wednesday, Sept. 11.
- Opelousas, Crowley, Eunice, New Iberia, Franklin, Covington, Mandeville, Slidell, Bunkie and Ville Platte
How Cleco is preparing:
- Cleco has activated its statewide storm teams and is following the company’s Emergency Response Plan.
- In addition to Cleco personnel, the company has secured 1,700 contractors, including line mechanics, vegetation specialists and damage assessors.
- Cleco has set up eight sites across the state to house materials and supplies, secured lodging for contractor crews and has specialized equipment on standby.
How customers can prepare:
- Customers can prepare by having essential items on hand in case of a power outage. Click here for a full list of storm tips.
- Water
- Batteries
- Battery-powered radio
- Battery-powered flashlight
- Fully charged electronic devices
- Canned food, manual can opener
- Customer also should operate portable generators outdoors in well-ventilated areas and plug appliances directly into generators with grounded extension cords. Never plug a generator into a wall outlet.
- Assume all downed power lines are live and stay away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 1-800-622-6537 and 911.
- If water is rising, turn off electricity at the main breaker, evacuate and stay away until waters have completely receded.
How Cleco Restores Power
- Safety is a priority in everything Cleco does. Once conditions are safe, workers begin to assess damage by land and/or air.
- Next, transmission and distribution lines are inspected and repaired. Transmission lines are critical to power restoration because they carry electricity from power plants to substations that deliver electricity to distribution lines which deliver electricity to homes, businesses, etc.
- Power is restored to critical community services first, such as hospitals, nursing homes, water systems, fire and police departments, etc.
- Power is then restored to the greatest number of customers in the shortest amount of time until power is restored to all customers who can receive power.