A lengthy power outage affected many Washington Parish residents during and following a strong storm this past Friday afternoon.
The power was out for hours for some residents. But despite the lengthy power outage, local residents can consider themselves to be fortunate because we missed an apparent tornado that hit in the Kentwood area to the west of us.
Officials with Washington-St. Tammany Electric Cooperative said the single biggest factor in Friday’s lengthy outage was fallen trees. Many of the fallen trees were damaged in Hurricane Ida back in August of 2021 and Friday’s strong winds simply finished the job.
Most of the fallen trees Friday were outside of WST’s right-of-way, and some were not easily accessible for linemen.
The high number of downed power lines also brought a reminder from WST that everyone should always stay away from downed power lines and treat them as if they are live.
When traffic lights in Franklinton were inoperative Friday afternoon following the storm, most drivers were patient and waited their turn. At any intersection where there is an inactive traffic light, all motorists should treat the intersection like it has four-way stop signs.
