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THE POLK COUNTY
April 15, 2020 Stay Connected!
1168 Hwy 71 S ● Mena, AR 71953 ● 479.243.9600
Your DAILY News Sources: KENA 104.1 FM & MyPulseNews.com Polk County/Mena Rotary Club donates to Mena Regional Health System to purchase PPE...
The Polk County/Mena Rotary Club recently donated $500 to assist with purchasing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) for Mena Regional Health System. As the COVID-19 pandemic spreads uncertainty and hardship around the world, Rotarians are innovating and caring for those affected, and showing that even at a distance, there are ways to help. Although the Polk County/Mena Rotary Club has cancelled the weekly in-person meetings, the members are actively engaged in ways to keep up their fellowship and reimagine their service efforts. Crystal Liles, Polk County/Mena Club President is shown presenting the contribution to Jay Quebedeaux, CEO of Mena Regional Health System. Submitted photo.
Easter Sunday Storm Caused Minor Damage in Polk County, Knocked Out Power to Area SWEPCO Customers At 10:30 a.m. Monday, approximately 45,300 customers remain without power after three waves of severe storms with high winds and lightning swept across SWEPCO’s service territory on Easter Sunday. The outages include 31,200 in Texas, 12,300 in Louisiana and 1,800 in Arkansas. The first line of storms left 22,000 customers without power Sunday morning, mostly in Texas and Louisiana. Power had been restored to 14,000 customers by the afternoon. However, more storms struck Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas during the late afternoon and evening, leaving a total of 64,000 customers without power by 9 p.m. Sunday. The storms heavily damaged SWEPCO’s electric system with multiple broken poles and wires down. For example, in several locations, more than 10 poles were down on a single circuit. Crews continue to assess damage and restore power as safely and quickly as power. Crews from SWEPCO’s sister companies – AEP Texas and Public Service Company of Oklahoma – are joining the
restoration effort, along with outside contract crews. Estimated times of restoration will be provided as assessment progresses. Overall storm restoration will be a multiple-day effort. SAFETY: DOWNED POWER LINES: Never touch a downed utility wire, no matter how harmless it looks. It can be difficult to distinguish between a power line and a cable or telephone line. All downed lines should be considered energized and dangerous. And don't touch anything in contact with the line, such as trees, fences or puddles of water, since they can conduct electricity. Keep children and pets away from this potential hazard. Call SWEPCO to report any downed lines or equipment. PORTABLE GENERATORS: If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators "backfeed" electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers' instrucSTORM CONTINUED ON PAGE 15