SHREVEPORT, La. — More than 250 Southwestern Electric Power Co. employees from across the Ark-La-Tex have traveled to Ohio to assist with power restoration after severe storms caused widespread outages and infrastructure damage.
The SWEPCO deployment includes lineworkers, damage assessors, vegetation management professionals and support personnel assisting sister company AEP Ohio in Columbus and surrounding communities.
Multiple rounds of severe weather brought damaging winds, flooding and downed trees to central Ohio, leaving more than 130,000 customers without power. The National Weather Service preliminarily determined an EF1 tornado struck south Columbus, while straight-line winds of 90 to 100 mph affected northern parts of the city.
SWEPCO crews brought specialized equipment to help clear debris, repair damaged infrastructure and restore electricity. In many locations, workers must remove trees and limbs from power lines before repairs can begin, including work in customers’ yards where debris and confined spaces complicate restoration efforts.
“We’re proud of the employees who are stepping up to support communities in Ohio during this restoration effort,” SWEPCO Vice President of External Affairs Amanda Nottingham said. “Helping one another is part of who we are as an AEP family and AEP Ohio does the same for us. While many of our team members are traveling to Ohio, we continue to have crews throughout our Ark-La-Tex service territory focused on serving our customers and keeping power flowing here at home.”
The deployment is part of the electric utility industry’s mutual assistance system, through which utilities provide workers and specialized equipment to other companies following major storms and widespread outages.
SWEPCO said it coordinated the Ohio deployment to maintain sufficient crews and resources across its own service territory while employees assist with restoration efforts in Ohio.