Oncor says power crews are in 'storm mode'
GARLAND, Texas (CBSDFW.COM) - ERCOT says it's still in good shape tonight, with enough supply to meet forecasted demand.
The biggest concern tonight heading into tomorrow is possible localized outages.
The ice buildup on trees can really cause problems. Oncor said once it gets to about a quarter of an inch to a half inch - branches can snap and fall on power lines and as we saw today, being without power in this weather is not pleasant.
Carefully shuffling from their north Dallas apartment to their car, Paris Townsend and Durron Neal are tired of being in the dark.
"About like two o'clock is when we first had our power outage and they said about five o'clock is when they're going to start working on it again," Townsend said. "It actually came back on for about thirty minutes. Thirty to an hour and then it turned back off."
While crews work, "We decided to just pack up, call a friend.. knowing that it's probably going to start getting colder and colder as the night goes," Neal said.
As we head into the overnight and early morning hours, Oncor said power crews are in "storm mode," working 16 hour shifts a day.
They're strategically placed across the metro to allow crews to respond quickly.
They've brought in additional supplies like poles, transformers, and wires.
If you're experiencing a power outage, contact your local power provider.
Oncor has four ways to report an outage:
- MyOncor mobile app - oncor.com/app
- Text "Out" to 66267
- Call (888) 313-4747
- Go online to stormcenter.oncor.com
"It definitely helps us, because then we can see it's not just one household or business," said Oncor spokesperson Andy Morgan. "It just helps us to have that knowledge to figure out what's going on."
As for Townsend and Neal, "Playing it by ear.. I mean we even came out here and we're like oh they're working on it now so we're going to try and wait and sit in our car but I think at this point, we're just over it and just going to go [to our friends house]," Townsend said.
Another thing crews point out is beware of downed power lines. Call 911 immediately if you see one and don't get near it. This can be very dangerous.
