Lights being shut off in Erath this Friday, Oct. 9

ERATH — As of Tuesday afternoon, Erath remained on track to cut power this Friday for essential work at the town’s electrical facility on Lastie Street (old Hwy. 14) .
According to Erath officials, the town is expected to turn off the electricity around 7 a.m. on Friday and turn it back on when the work is complete, hopefully, around 7 p.m. that same day. However, the plan could shift if the predicted rain arrives.
At last, after nearly two years of anticipation, Erath is set to receive its own transformer capable of drawing power directly from a supplier.
For years, CLECO has provided Erath with a mobile transformer for free because the town purchased electricity from CLECO.
In April 2025, the town council voted to invest in its own electrical substation at a total cost of $3 million. The town borrowed $1.3 million, with the remaining $1.7 million coming from a grant.
The new transformer, made in China, recently arrived in Erath and is sitting not far from the mobile transformer owned by CLECO.
On Monday, hired contractors put the new transformer to make it worked before moving it where the mobile transformer is now.
The new transformer purchase is meant to help lower electricity rates in Erath, according to Erath Alderman Jason Connor.
With the town owning its own electrical station, it could search out other electrical companies for cheaper rates and not be tied to CLECO’s rates, Connor said.
Erath Chief of Police Anna LaPointe acknowledged that the police department will face challenges during the planned 12- to-14-hour outage as it navigates the difficulties of operating without electricity.
She is especially concerned for elderly residents who rely on oxygen and may not have access to social media or television for updates.
“I am worried about the elderly and family members who may not have heard about the electricity going off,” LaPointe said. “I am spending the next couple of days trying to let everyone know the town is having an outage.”
To keep the community safe, the police department will deploy extra patrol units around the clock.
Schools in Erath will be closed.
Erath football coach Eric LeBlanc said he will have his team pack their gear on Thursday for a Friday road game.
It remains uncertain which Erath businesses will open their doors or stay closed on Friday.