LAFAYETTE PARISH — The aftermath of Hurricane Francine continues to unfold, leaving hundreds of thousands of residents in Louisiana without power. The storm made landfall Tuesday afternoon, causing widespread outages and significant damage in communities like Houma, one of the hardest-hit areas.
Slemco is among the power companies stepping up to help, sending a crew of 50 linemen south to assist SLECA in Houma, where the entire system remains offline. More than 20,000 customers are currently without electricity.
Crews are bringing bucket trucks, off-road vehicles, four-wheel drive equipment, pole-trailers, and extended-length boom trucks to cut through fallen trees and access flooded areas.
Despite working for different companies, the linemen are united in their mission. "When hurricanes hit our system, we do what we can, but there’s no way we can get it all done with just our employees," said Shad Babineaux, a Slemco lineman. "Other people come and give us mutual aid, so when it happens somewhere else, we go and help them."
Restoration efforts are ongoing as crews work around the clock to bring power back to the affected region.
