(Cleco)- As of noon Monday , approximately 500 customers in Evangeline Parish remain without power following Sunday morning’s storm that left nearly 20,000 customers across Cleco’s service territory without power, the company said today.

Ville Platte Mayor Jennifer Vidrine said power is expected to be fully restored by Monday night. 

“There were eight confirmed tornadoes in Louisiana yesterday and two touched down in Ville Platte and Mamou,” said James Lass, general manager of distribution operations and emergency management. “Our crews have been working tirelessly to clear debris, repair broken poles, replace downed lines and restore power to our customers. We expect that all customers who can take power will be restored today.”

Cleco is reminding customers to be aware of possible downed lines. Stay away from low-hanging or downed lines. Call Cleco or 911 to report an unsafe situation with electricity.

For additional safety tips, please visit www.cleco.com.

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