Situation Update

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 

Situation Update 7

January 13, 2007 ¿ 4:30 p.m.

STATE RESPONSE TO ICE STORM CONTINUES 

The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains activated due to winter weather conditions that continue to impact areas of Oklahoma. The Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is in contact with emergency managers in the affected areas and has received the following reports.

State Assistance
- Gov. Brad Henry¿s State of Emergency declaration for all 77 Oklahoma counties remains in effect. The declaration reiterates the availability of all state resources to Oklahoma cities, towns and counties. It also provides a formal mechanism for local governments to seek reimbursement for recovery costs through the state¿s disaster public assistance program should conditions warrant.

- OEM is working with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) and the Oklahoma Military Department to deliver generators to McAlester, Checotah and Calvin. The generators are needed to keep water treatment plants on-line due to power outages.

Power Outages
The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports statewide, about 68,650 homes are without power.
- PSO reports 22,659 customers are without power throughout the state. Highest PSO outages are reported in McAlester, where 12,458 are without power, in Grove where 3,509 are without power and in Chouteau where 2,604 are without power. Other communities experiencing power outages are Atoka, Duncan, Hobart, Idabel, Lawton, Okmulgee, Tipton, Tulsa, Vinita and Wilburton.

-  OG&E reports 12,542 customers are without power. The largest OG&E outages are in Muskogee where 6,246 are without power and in Ada, where 2,800 are without electricity. Other outages are reported in Ardmore, Checotah, Maysville, Okay, Porum, Stonewall, Taft and Warner.

- Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reports 33,450 electric cooperative customers are without power. While structural damage to poles and structures has not been extensive, ice accumulations continue to develop, especially in eastern Oklahoma. Line crews from several cooperatives are reporting ice accumulations ranging from one-half to two inches in parts of eastern, northeastern and southeastern Oklahoma. Below is a list of electric cooperatives, the location of their office and the number of power outages.

Canadian Valley Electric Cooperative (Seminole) - 1,000

Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative (Stigler) - 600

Cotton Electric Cooperative (Walters) - 460

East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Okmulgee) - 4,000

Kiamichi Electric Cooperative (Wilburton) - 3,000

Lake Region Electric Cooperative (Hulbert) - 6,000

Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Vinita) - 16,000

People's Electric Cooperative (Ada) - 2,390

Road Conditions
Officials with ODOT and the Department of Public Safety continue to discourage travel on the state¿s highways and interstates which are slick and hazardous in most areas. ODOT reports high water has required the following road closings: State Highway 131 in Atoka County; State Highway 63 in Pittsburg County between Kiowa and Haileyville; and, State Highway 31 west of McAlester in Pittsburg County. US-270 in Krebs is now open. Crews continue to plow and deliver salt and sand on highways and interstates statewide. For information regarding Oklahoma roads, call 888-425-2385. For road conditions in neighboring states call: Texas, 888-425-2385; Kansas, 886-511-5368; Arkansas, 800-245-1672; and Missouri, 800-222-6400.

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