As the aftermath of the powerful thunderstorms that struck early Tuesday morning continues to impact much of North Texas, the region’s primary electricity provider has provided a new update regarding the ongoing efforts to restore power to affected customers.
In a notice appearing on its website on Thursday, Oncor revealed that significant progress has been made in the restoration process throughout Dallas.
Within the first 24 hours following the storm, more than 340,000 customers in the DFW area had their power restored. The company reported that by 4 p.m. on Wednesday, that number had reached 400,000. Despite the initial progress and recovery, challenges persist throughout the metroplex. As of Thursday evening, Oncor’s outage map showed that over 148,000 customers still had no electricity.
However, Oncor told customers the company remains steadfast in its commitment to expedite the restoration process. Its goal is still to complete the restoration of power to customers in need by Friday evening, with the possibility of harder-hit areas seeing restoration by Saturday, as The Dallas Express reported on Wednesday.
The scale of the restoration effort is immense, requiring the mobilization of additional workers from eight states to bolster local crews.
Restoring service not only entails intricate repairs, such as the installation of new utility poles and transformers where existing infrastructure has been damaged by the storm, but also the clearing of debris and vegetation obstructing technicians’ access to equipment in need of repair. According to Oncor, to ensure a swift and safe restoration process, teams are operating in 16-hour shifts, both day and night.
However, Oncor emphasized the effect of weather conditions on its progress, acknowledging that restoration efforts are contingent upon favorable weather.
“Heavy rain, thunder, lightning and flooding are impacting several of the communities where Oncor teams are working to restore these outages,” the notice read. “Oncor personnel will continue working as quickly and safely as possible, as weather conditions allow, to respond to outages caused by Tuesday’s storms and today’s inclement weather.”
In the meantime, Oncor continues to urge affected customers to exercise caution and patience while staying vigilant of safety protocols. The company also reiterated the importance of avoiding downed power lines and advised customers to report outages promptly through the designated channels.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Houston was also hit hard by a succession of storms and extreme weather conditions starting May 16, resulting in mass power outages and damaged infrastructure across the city.
Houston Public Media estimated Wednesday that 20,000 or more CenterPoint Energy clients in Houston were still without any power.