Three days after a team of 100 OG&E linemen and support personnel deployed to Houston, Texas, crews have been working around the clock to restore power as quickly and safely as possible to areas affected by last Thursday’s severe storm.
Since arriving, OG&E crews have been assisting CenterPoint Energy and began working Sunday morning in the Baytown and Katy, Texas areas. So far, tens of thousands of Houston residents now have their power restored.
OG&E’s current assignment is Baytown, Texas, a coastal suburb in Harris and Chambers counties that was affected by 85 mph winds and severe storms. Crews have been restoring power, removing dangerous obstacles and repairing essential equipment. According to CenterPoint Energy’s outage map, there were nearly 922,000 customers initially left without power.
OG&E crews have made significant strides with restoration and will continue working until more residents get their power back on.
“We understand that many people are still without power which can be difficult particularly with the hot weather. We are working hard to restore power to more customers every day. We keep getting more work because everyone is really impressed with our work ethic and level of expertise. It’s great that we’ve been able to energize many people in Texas,” said Chad Guthrie, OG&E Director of Distribution Construction. “I’d like to thank the team – everyone from the leadership team to the linemen to the mechanics, it takes all of us to make this work.”
OG&E Vice President of Transmission & Distribution Operations Andrea Dennis said the outpouring of support from Oklahomans and Texans has a great effect on the crew’s attitude as they continue to help communities impacted by the severe weather.
“OG&E’s crews have seen an outpouring of support in Houston as they’ve worked to restore power to residents,” Dennis said. “This encouragement and gratitude mean so much to our linemen, and they help keep up morale as our crews continue their restoration efforts in challenging conditions.”