PSO: expect ‘multi-day recovery’ to restore power

Written By: John Dobberstein

(OKLAHOMA) Sunday’s severe storms knocked out power to more than 200,000 customers in the region, and PSO says residents and business owners should expect a “multi-day recovery” to restore power.

Read this story on the Broken Arrow Sentinel here. 

Wind gusts up to 90 mph caused outages across the Tulsa and McAlester areas. PSO sustained substantial damage to the grid including transmission structures, broken poles, cross-arms and downed wires.

PSO crews and its business partners are working to restore power safely and quickly.

As of 9 a.m., outages are concentrated in and around Tulsa and McAlester, and approximately 200,000 customers remain without power. PSO is experiencing the most significant restoration event since the 2007 ice storm.

“This is going to be a multi-day recovery,” PSO said. “Estimated times of restoration for customers who can accept power will be available Monday morning.

The Broken Arrow Fire Department said crews worked diligently through the night responding to numerous fires, alarms and powerlines down.

As of early Sunday, crews remained on scene at 209th East Ave. between 41st and 35th streets for multiple power poles down. Avoid 209th in this mile section, BAFD said.

Additional units on scene on 9th Street between New Orleans and Florence for lines down across the roadway. Units are responding to multiple lines-down calls at residences but not blocking major roadways.

The city of Broken Arrow warned that stop signs have been placed at intersections where traffic signals don’t have power, and motorists should treat intersections without working traffic signals or stop signs as a 4-way stop.

In Tulsa, police said there were 250 or more power poles/lines down and that 911 dispatchers received 4,500 calls about downed lines between midnight at 5 a.m.

Police activated the city’s Incident Management Team and remains on Operation Slick Streets. Officers are prioritizing storm-related, injury, and emergency calls. Tulsa Police non-emergency can be reached at (918) 596-9222.

More than 35 City of Tulsa crews are clearing Tulsa’s main streets, with others working to assess storm conditions neighborhood-by-neighborhood. Work will occur during daylight hours throughout the next few days.

PSO said it has more than 700 lineworkers, forestry personnel and support staff ready to respond throughout the service area. Additional crews are in route to assist and are expected to arrive Sunday and into Monday.

Downed trees, power lines and other damage are creating potentially hazardous conditions, the utility said. PSO is urging people to assume any downed utility line is energized. “Stay away from the line and do not touch it with anything,” PSO said Sunday morning.

Customers are urged to call 1-833-776-6884 (1-833-PSO-OUTG) to report an outage or safety hazard like downed wires, downed poles or trees that have fallen on power lines.

PSO said it is coordinating with local emergency management authorities and will continue to provide updates as the situation unfolds. Those with questions related to their personal PSO power should call 1-833-776-7697 (1-833-PSO-POWR) or visit psoklahoma.com/outages.

PSO asked customers to not approach crews and utility vehicles in their neighborhood to ask when power will be restored. “Doing so could jeopardize your safety. Outward vision from the large utility vehicles can be limited. A crew may not see someone who has walked up to their work truck,” PSO said.

PSO noted that all restoration estimates are for customers whose property is in condition to receive power. If the electric service entrance (meter loop) to a home or business has been damaged or pulled away from the structure, customers will need to have it repaired by a licensed electrician before PSO can re-connect service.

Generator Safety

Power Outage: If you use a generator, please follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions. 

Do not operate the unit indoors. Connect appliances directly to the generator’s electric outlets...not to the main electrical panel of your home or business unless you have had an electric load transfer switch installed to isolate your home’s wiring from PSO’s electric system. Otherwise, you jeopardize the safety of utility workers.

Evacuation: Before you evacuate your house please disconnect (open) your home’s main electrical breaker after you turn off the generator. This will eliminate any possibility of the generator feeding power back into PSO’s electric system.

Report and Track Outages

Visit psoklahoma.com/outages/report/ or call 1-833-776-6884 (1-833-PSO- OUTG) to report an outage, safety hazard like a downed wires, downed poles or trees that have fallen on power lines.

Use the mobile app, available for download via the App Store or Google Play, to report an outage, check outage status, view and pay your bill, manage your account, and more.

Visit PSOklahoma.com/OutageMap to find detailed information without logging into your account.

Sign up for text and email updates, including estimated time of restoration, at psoklahoma.com/alerts. Follow @PSOklahoma on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor for additional updates.

Call PSO Customer Service Center at 1-833-776-7697 (1-833-PSO-POWR) for any other customer issues.