SHREVEPORT, La. – The ArkLaTex continues its slow recovery Thursday following a significant winter storm that paralyzed travel and knocked out power to thousands. While Wednesday brought a period of thawing, temperatures remained low enough to leave many neighborhood and rural roads icy.
Caddo Parish and Bossier Parish schools remained closed for a fourth consecutive day Thursday. Officials cited lingering ice on school campuses and hazardous travel conditions on secondary roads as the primary reasons for the extension. Webster Parish and DeSoto Parish also kept students home, though some districts in the southern portion of the region, including Natchitoches Parish, were able to resume classes.
Power restoration efforts have made substantial progress. SWEPCO reported that most customers in the Shreveport-Bossier area have had their electricity restored, with fewer than 2,000 customers still without power as of Thursday morning. In contrast, Entergy reported that recovery is moving slower in Northeast Louisiana and parts of Mississippi, where heavier ice accumulation caused more severe infrastructure damage.
The Louisiana Department of Transportation and Development continues to urge motorists to use extreme caution. While major interstates like I-20 and I-49 are largely clear, patches of black ice remain a threat, particularly on bridges and overpasses…