A line of sleeping trailers is the temporary home of Cleco utility crews working to restore electricity to thousands of customers in Avoyelles and surrounding parishes. The Hurricane Recovery Center includes a large tent that serves as cafeteria and command center. Crews from as far away as Illinois and Kentucky have been called in to help this area recover from the damage caused by Hurricane Laura, which hit southwest Louisiana as a Category 4 killer storm last Thursday. {Photo by Raymond L. Daye}
1,701 still without power in Avoyelles as of noon Sunday
While Avoyelles is much more fortunate than some other parishes struck by Hurricane Laura, for 1,701 utility customers in the parish were still without electricity as of noon today.
Cleco, the largest utility provider in the parish with 15,252 customers, was working to restore power to 1,622 Sunday morning. Entergy, which primarily serves Marksville and some surrounding areas of the parish with 5,800 customers, still had 79 without service. SLEMCO, with 710 customers in south Avoyelles, had restored all power as of noon toay.
Cleco has set up a Hurricane Recovery Center at the state Youth Center in Bayhills to serve as a staging area for crews working in Avoyelles and neighboring parishes. Crews from other states have been called in to assist local Cleco crews to address the widespread damage caused by the hurricane.