LONGVIEW, Texas (EAST TEXAS NEWS) – Just under 12,000 SWEPCO customers in East Texas were without power around midday Sunday.
SWEPCO spokesperson Mark Robinson said about 70,000 of their customers lost power Sunday morning, but that figure had fallen to roughly 54,000 by noon.
Robinson called this figure a “significant uptick” compared with Saturday’s outages, and noted that the centers of Longview, Carthage, and Henderson had suffered several outages, including blackouts.
SWEPCO crews repositioned at the Longview Exhibit Center to continue service around the clock. They then departed along with crews from other utility companies to assist those in need.
Robinson said mutual aid is crucial to their work.
“Whether forestry crews or line workers and assessors, someone has to go out to assess the damage and determine its extent so we can request the right amount of personnel and supplies,” Robinson explained.
SWEPCO crews repaired the power outage in downtown Longview on Sunday morning. Several traffic signals at intersections were dark.
Robinson said there were about 6,000 customers without power in Rusk County and 5,000 in Panola County. Forestry crews are removing trees from power lines and clearing roads in the area.
“If there is any kind of cable on the ground and you don’t know whether it’s electricity, a utility line, cable TV, or Internet, it could have tangled with a live wire when it fell. Just leave it where it is,” Robinson said.
Crews continue to salt and sand the roads and bridges.
With subfreezing temperatures continuing, Robinson expects the situation at the Longview Exhibit Center to last for several more days.
Despite the widespread outages, Robinson said East Texans have been “kind” to utility workers.
“Look, we live in East Texas. People are very friendly and polite. They’re without power and yet they thank us. We have people coming here from other states who say that folks here are very kind,” Robinson said.
