Thousands lost electrical power following severe weather in southern Oklahoma

By Tuesday afternoon, some  7,800 customers of Oklahoma Gas and Electric remained without electric power following severe weather Monday night and Tuesday morning in southern Oklahoma. Several hours later, OGE said 57% of those who lost power had it restored.

The utility said as of Tuesday night, about 6,400 customers were still without power.

The National Weather Service in a preliminary survey determined it was an EF-1 tornado that hit Ada, leaving extensive damage to a school, a fire station and other buildings.

A public statement from OGE indicated crews were restoring power as quickly as possible. Power was lost when the tornado downed power lines, left broken power poles and damaged cross arms and other equipment attached to poles.

The utility described damage to its power system in the southern part of the service area with Ada, Durant and Ardmore the hardest hit communities. Adding to the challenge for crews was strong winds 50 to 60mph anticipated Monday afternoon in the region.

OGE’s statement included the following:

Restoration Underway

• Operations personnel are restoring service to homes and businesses that can accept power, and additional crews from the metro are expected to arrive in southern Oklahoma later today.
• OG&E has found downed power lines, broken power poles, damaged transmission structures, tree damage to equipment, broken cross arms and other equipment attached to poles.
• We will continue assessing and inspecting damage that could not be seen overnight.
• This will be a multi-day event for some customers given the severity of damage in parts of our service area, particularly in Ada and Ardmore.
• We expect estimated times of restoration to be available after full damage assessments are complete.

After the Storm

• Following storms, OG&E will bring tree and brush debris to the curb, however customers are responsible for removing the debris. City and county resources for debris removal may be available and will vary by community.

For the latest information, visit OGE.com/StormCenter.