Power has been restored to most OG&E and PSO customers following Friday’s wind storm that brought 75 mile an hour gusts, outages, dozens of snapped power line poles and the wind-driven wildfires that destroyed dozens of homes and structures near Edmond.
At one point on Friday, OG&E reported more than 16,000 customers lost power as the winds raked across the state. Pubic Service Company of Oklahoma reported approximately the same number of customers without electrical power.
“Damage to the PSO system was widespread and scattered with assessments and repairs requiring extra time,” reported PSO in a special statement.
OG&E responded with 800 restoration personnel and a company statement issued Friday night indicated at least 50 poles were broken during the storm. Many of those without electricity were reported to be in the Oklahoma City area.
PSO indicated the same kind of damage in its service area and said it targeted the power restoration with 1,000 lineworkers, forestry personnel and support staff.
“Storm damage included multiple downed poles, wires and trees, mostly in the Tulsa area.”
Initially OG&E reported the wind gusts were registered at 60 miles an hour but by later in the day, the company said sustained winds of 40-50 mph with gusts over 75 mph were responsible for the damage. By Friday night, about 4,000 customers remained without electrical power and service.
“In high winds, we cannot use the buckets in bucket trucks because of increased risk to our crews up in the air. We may completely deenergize lines before reconnecting or working on them during high wind events,” explained the utility in a special weather statement.
Power outages were also reported in the west half of the state as OG&E said service was restored in Enid and Woodward, Ada, Ardmore, Muskogee, Kellyville and Fort Smith, Arkansas.
