SHREVEPORT, La. — Severe storms late Monday afternoon and evening swept across the ArkLaTex, knocking down trees and leaving thousands of residents in the dark.
Utility crews are working to assess widespread damage and restore service. According to SWEPCO, almost 24,000 customers in North Louisiana remained without power at 5 a.m. Tuesday. The most severe impacts are concentrated across Red River, Natchitoches, Caddo, Bossier, and DeSoto parishes.
The storm also pushed through East Texas, where hundreds of customer outages are reported in Harrison, Cass, and Marion counties. SWEPCO posted images on Facebook showing substantial tree damage, including one home with a front yard buried under a fallen tree.
If you have downed power lines on your property, do not touch them and call SWEPCO immediately.
Despite the high winds and structural damage, emergency officials report no injuries at this time. Heavy rainfall accompanied the system, with a weather watcher in Mansfield tracking an inch and a quarter of rain. Some areas of northeast Texas received up to 4.5" of rain.
The Natchitoches Parish Sheriff's Office shared video from Louisiana Highway 6 near Robeline showing a funnel cloud that developed during the storm. Deputies confirmed four to five trees were snapped in that immediate area, but no injuries were reported.
Crews will continue making repairs throughout the day.