SHREVEPORT, La. — Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO) is urging customers in Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas to prepare for winter weather expected to bring snow, ice, and freezing temperatures this weekend. The utility said crews are monitoring forecasts and are ready to respond to potential outages as part of its winter storm readiness plan.
The company said its preparation work during 2025 focused on strengthening storm resilience across its power distribution network. Crews inspected more than 81,000 power poles, replaced more than 16,000 poles, and cleared vegetation along 1,370 miles of power lines. SWEPCO said its power plants also have site-specific protocols and inspections in place to maintain safe and reliable operations during extreme weather.
“We are committed to caring for our customers no matter what the weather brings,” said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations. “We urge our customers to be weather aware and prepare for rapidly changing weather conditions.”
SWEPCO advised customers to make emergency plans, particularly those who rely on continuous electric service for health reasons. The company recommended assembling an emergency kit and taking home safety steps such as checking heating systems, sealing leaks, inspecting roofs, pruning tree branches, and ensuring smoke and carbon monoxide detectors have battery backups.
Customers can stay informed through the SWEPCO mobile app, which provides outage updates, safety tips, and restoration times. Additional resources include text and email alerts at SWEPCO.com/Alerts, outage tracking at SWEPCO.com/OutageMap, and the outage reporting line at 1-888-218-3919.
SWEPCO, a subsidiary of American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP), serves more than 500,000 customers across its three-state territory.