SWEPCO Shares Winter Readiness Tips with Customers; Describes Company Preparedness Plans

(January 3, 2025) — SWEPCO is actively watching the forecasted severe weather which could bring fierce winds, thunderstorms, and possible tornadoes on Sunday in our southern territory.  Later next week, snow and freezing rain are forecasted for our northern region with Arctic air coverage throughout. The extreme weather may affect parts of SWEPCO’s service territory across Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas in the coming days and customers can take time now to prepare.

Just as the company has implemented a series of proactive pre-winter preparedness actions to enhance and winterize its electric infrastructure and ensure reliability during extreme cold conditions, it is encouraging customers to take time to make a plan.

SWEPCO encourages customers to be prepared for winter weather by having an emergency kit on hand and deciding now where to go if there is a power outage, particularly if they or a family member relies on uninterrupted electric service for health reasons.

"We are closely monitoring the severe cold weather and storm potential expected across our service areas in Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas and our teams are vigilant about protecting our infrastructure so we may safely serve our customers," said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations. "We urge our customers to remain aware of rapidly changing weather conditions and to take necessary precautions. Download the SWEPCO app to stay informed about power outages, receive real-time updates, and access safety tips."

SWEPCO has developed comprehensive severe and icy weather action plans, adapting to changing forecasts, and is prepared to respond to any potential service interruptions promptly and safely. Crews are ready to respond as needed.

The current forecast shows a risk for severe thunderstorms from late morning Sunday through the afternoon, across East Texas, Southern Arkansas, and North Louisiana. Damaging winds as high as 65 mph and isolated tornadoes are predicted as the main threats from the stronger storms, which could affect power lines. SWEPCO reminds customers to always treat downed lines as energized and dangerous. Please keep a safe distance of at least 35 feet from downed power lines and report any incidents at once.

Later in the week, the forecast shows a risk of freezing conditions that could impact our northern service territory. "We understand how crucial reliable electric service is for our customers, especially during extreme weather events. Our teams are actively preparing to respond to any impacts from the forecasted cold snap, ensuring that we can restore service safely and efficiently," Seidel said. "We also encourage our customers to have their own emergency plans in place."

As part of a commitment to ensuring reliable service during wintry weather, SWEPCO has a comprehensive Winter Preparedness plan that includes winterization of its generation portfolio.

“From data-driven analysis, continuous monitoring of our equipment, storm hardening and winterization of generating equipment, our power plant crews are always working around the clock to produce power for our customers,” said Monte McMahon, vice president, Generating Assets. “Crews have site specific protocols, procedures, checklists and inspections to combat cold weather impacts and ensure the safe and reliable operations across our entire generation fleet.”

Ready to make your winter-ready plan? Consider these tips:

Save Energy

• Set your thermostat to a comfortable temperature, like 68°F.
• Change your furnace filter every month
• Have your ceiling fans turn clockwise to push heat down
• Close your shades at night and open them during the day 

Prepare your home:

• Drain and shut off water
• Stow hoses
• Check and clean out gutters
• Inspect the roof
• Check vents and openings
• Prune close-hanging tree branches
• Seal leaks
• Check the furnace
• Install and test smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors with battery backups
• Gather supplies in case you need to stay home for several days without power 

Find more energy saving ideas: SWEPCO.com/save

Want to make a winter safety kit? Get started at SWEPCO.com/stormprep

Stay Informed with SWEPCO Alerts:

• Use the SWEPCO app, available for download at SWEPCO.com/APP, via the App Store, or Google Play.
• Sign up for text and email updates, including estimated time of restoration, at SWEPCO.com/Alerts.
• Visit SWEPCO.com/OutageMap to find detailed outage information without logging into your account.
• Call 1-888-218-3919 to report your outage or hazard.

For updates and photos, see SWEPCO.com and follow SWEPCO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

MEDIA CONTACTS: SWEPCO Corporate Communications  

Amanda Keeney | Michelle Marcotte | Shantell Jordan | Brooke Rinaudo 

For media inquiries about power outages, local media matters, power plants, public safety, public policy, regulatory, environmental, and other statewide issues, please call our 24/7 media information line at 318.673.3060. For industry and corporate issues, please contact AEP’s corporate media relations office at 614.716.1000. 

About Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)

We deliver safe, reliable and affordable power to more than half a million homes and businesses in Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas. Our 1,400 employees power today’s necessities and inspire tomorrow’s possibilities. You’ll see us improving communities, promoting sustainability and building grid resiliency throughout our territory, spanning more than 25,000 distribution line miles. Our work in energy efficiency has been repeatedly recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy, which honored us as an ENERGY STAR® 2023 Partner of the Year for Sustained Excellence. We recognize that innovative approaches to workforce development are necessary to effectively recruit qualified, diverse talent in today’s competitive labor market and this includes a commitment to building a diverse and skilled workforce through partnerships to grow the talent pipeline. We’re proud to be named Texas Workforce Commission’s 2023 Employer of Excellence and to receive the 2023 Curt Eysink Excellence in Workplace Development award from the Louisiana Community and Technical College System. Because we produce and deliver one of the most powerful forces on earth, we keep the safety and well-being of our customers and employees at the forefront, always. We are proud of the Million Work Hours Safety Award from the Arkansas Department of Labor Licensing and Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission on behalf of our Flint Creek Power Plant for working 4 million hours without a lost-time accident. We believe we can deliver reliable electricity while protecting the environment. Our work to support habitat conservation was recently recognized by the Wildlife Habitat Council Conservation (WHC) who awarded us a Silver Certification for supporting sustainable ecosystems at our Eagle Watch Nature Trail. SWEPCO is an American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) company. SWEPCO’s headquarters are in Shreveport, LA. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com. Connect with us by following Facebook.com/SWEPCO, Twitter.com/SWEPCOnews, Instagram.com/swepco, Youtube.com/SWEPCOtv and LinkedIn.com/company/swepco.

About American Electric Power (AEP)

Our team at American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP) is committed to improving our customers' lives with reliable, affordable power. We are investing $54 billion from 2025 through 2029 to enhance service for customers and support the growing energy needs of our communities. Our nearly 16,000 employees operate and maintain the nation's largest electric transmission system with 40,000 line miles, along with more than 225,000 miles of distribution lines to deliver energy to 5.6 million customers in 11 states. AEP also is one of the nation's largest electricity producers with approximately 29,000 megawatts of diverse generating capacity. We are focused on safety and operational excellence, creating value for our stakeholders and bringing opportunity to our service territory through economic development and community engagement. Our family of companies includes AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia, West Virginia and Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana, east Texas and the Texas Panhandle). AEP also owns AEP Energy, which provides innovative competitive energy solutions nationwide. AEP is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio. For more information, visit aep.com.