LAFAYETTE, La. (KLFY) — The 2025 hurricane season is coming, and that means getting your home ready for the worst the Gulf Coast can throw at us.

For Cleco Power, which serves approximately 300,000 customers in 24 of Louisiana’s 64 parishes, that preparation is a year-round effort.

Brooke Buford, Cleco’s Community Strategist, said the company has doubled its vegetation management, known to us as tree trimming.

“We know that trees on the lines are the number one cause of unplanned power outages,” Buford said. “So we constantly always trim trees in our service territory. It’s 24 parishes, but we are doubling our efforts right now to really get ahead of hurricane season.”

That preparation tactic is part of a 6-year initative, Buford said. Inspections of 14,000 miles of transmission and distribution lines across the state and increased supplies in stock are all part of the routine.

Buford and Cleco encourage customers to prepare year-round for this season, and that includes having a storm kit ready at a moment’s notice.

The kit should include: water, non-perishable food, a first aid kit, flashlight, batteries, a battery powered light, important documents, medication and cash.

Buford also stresses those with generators need to follow the directions properly.

“You don’t want to wing this,” she said. “This is very critical. So making sure that you’re using the proper wattage that you’re plugging into your generator, keeping it away from an enclosed space. Don’t put it in your garage. Don’t put it near a window. Don’t put it near any sort of air vents because you don’t want to get carbon monoxide in your home. And on that note, make sure you have a carbon monoxide detector.”

And always remember, if you encounter a downed power line, don’t touch it because you never know if it is still live or not.

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