500 left in the dark after severe storm

Published 10:11 am Wednesday, March 23, 2022

Beauregard Electric crews worked to restore power to more than 500 members left in the dark after severe storms passed through the area Tuesday.

According to BECi spokesperson Danielle Tilley, 588 members were without power early Tuesday afternoon as the worst of the storm began to lift.

Lineman crews were immediately dispatched to work on major circuits in Ragley, Rapides and Pitkin, while additional crews began working on smaller and scattered outages.

Southwestern Electric Power Company, which covers much of Vernon Parish and Alexandria, reported more than 2,600 members without power.

Schools were canceled in Beauregard and Vernon parishes in anticipation of the severe weather, but officials said Tuesday they were thankfully left with very minimal damages.

According to Vernon Parish Sheriff Sam Craft, a part of the roof on the parish jail’s chapel was ripped off, along with a few other properties reporting some damage.

“It was very minor,” Craft said.

In Beauregard Parish, Sheriff Mark Herford said the area saw only minimal road flooding and mostly downed tree limbs.