Oncor personnel worked throughout the night to assess damage and restore power to more than 223,000 customers from a peak of more than 290,000 outages Thursday. Restoration work will continue around the clock and will be supported by mutual assistance partners from Texas and utilities across the southern United States. As of 6:30 a.m. Friday, about 67,000 customers are without power. 

This storm system stretched over hundreds of miles, from Oncor’s northern-most region near the Red River to our southern-most region in Travis and Williamson Counties, leaving a trail of damage as it moved eastward across the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex and into our eastern regions of Tyler, Lufkin and Nacogdoches.

Persistent high winds in excess of 80 mph were documented across our service area, leading to downed trees and debris in power lines, heavily damaged electric equipment and poor road conditions. Strong rain, intense cloud to ground lightning and large hail was also reported. Oncor teams began work as soon as it was safe to do so and will continue working around the clock until power can be restored.

Damage evaluation assessments are being performed by ground and by air. In areas with heavy debris, Oncor vegetation management personnel must remove tree limbs and branches from lines before equipment can be repaired or rebuilt. If you see Oncor personnel or support staff working, please give them ample space to ensure the protection of yourself and our workers. 

Safety for employees and the public remains Oncor’s number one priority. Customers are urged to keep these important safety tips in mind as they begin venturing out and cleaning debris around their homes or businesses:

·       If you see a downed power line, please stay away, keep pets and others away and call 911 immediately. In addition to the downed line potentially being energized, anything touching the power line, such as a tree branch, could also be energized.

·       Do not attempt to remove debris and tree limbs from areas near power lines. The debris may be concealing a live wire or downed power line.

·       Use caution when traveling on the roadways, especially in areas with heavy debris and streetlights without power.

·       While prioritized during power restoration events, critical care designations do not guarantee an uninterrupted power supply, especially during severe weather. Customers who rely on electricity for life-saving medical devices should have a plan in place in case of power outages.

·       If you are experiencing an emergency event, call 911 immediately. 

Customers can report outages and receive updates by registering for MyOncor text alerts by texting “REG” to 66267, downloading the MyOncor App, following Oncor on Facebook and Twitter, or by calling 888.313.4747.