Situation Update

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Situation Update 15

January 15, 2007 -- 9 p.m.

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.

Since the winter weather system first impacted the state Friday morning, 14 people have died on Oklahoma roads, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol. Additionally, OG&E reports three linemen have been injured: one fell from a utility pole when ice gave away under his spikes; one needed stitches due to an injury to his forehead; and one sustained a separated shoulder after falling on ice. Additionally, more than 230 people have been treated at Oklahoma hospitals for various injuries related to current weather conditions, according to the Oklahoma State Department of Health

Governor Henry's request to President Bush for an emergency disaster declaration for all 77 Oklahoma counties was approved Sunday night. FEMA Director David Paulison said federal funding is available to coordinate all disaster relief efforts for the purpose of alleviating the hardship and suffering caused by the emergency on the local population and to provide appropriate assistance for required emergency measures. Paulison said that FEMA has been specifically authorized to identify, mobilize, and provide at its discretion, equipment and resources necessary to alleviate the impacts of the emergency. Debris removal and emergency protective measures will be provided at 75 percent federal funding.

Generators have been delivered to more than 30 locations in eastern Oklahoma including McIntosh, Pittsburg, Mayes and Muskogee counties. Water treatment plants and shelters were the first to receive the generators so public water systems could continue to operate and shelters could provide a safe place for residents. An additional 100 generators and a large supply of bottled water was delivered by FEMA to a staging area in McAlester today. The generators will be delivered to communities throughout Oklahoma that serve the public such as public water services, shelters, police and fire departments and organizations supporting shelters.

Please note: These generators are not available to individuals. Water will be delivered through community shelters.

To assure continued medical services in those areas of the state hardest hit by the weekend's ice storm, the Oklahoma State Department of Health has activated the Medical Reserve Corps. Volunteer medical personnel are being dispatched to the McAlester Regional Hospital and medical supplies, including oxygen, are being distributed to several hospitals in southeastern and northeastern Oklahoma.

In addition to OEM, the Oklahoma Military Department, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Turnpike Authority, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, Oklahoma Corporation Commission, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, FEMA, Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives, OG&E, American Red Cross and The Salvation Army are represented in the State EOC.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports statewide, about 103,123 electric customers are without power.

PSO reports 30,193 customers are without power throughout the state. Highest PSO outages are reported in McAlester, where 14,692 are without power, in Grove where 4,123 are without power and in Chouteau where 4,582 are without power. Other communities experiencing power outages are Atoka, Okmulgee, Tulsa, Vinita and Wilburton.

OG&E reports 15,048 customers are without power. The largest OG&E outages are in Muskogee where 8,587 are without power and in Checotah, where 2,319 are without electricity. Other outages are reported in Boynton, Braggs, Eufaula, Fort Gibson, Haskell, Okay, Porum, Warner and Webbers Falls.

Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reports 57,482 electric cooperative customers are without power. OAEC reports more than 1,350 utility poles are down in the cooperative service area.

Below is a list of electric cooperatives, the location of their office and the number of power outages.

Canadian Valley (Seminole) - 1,800
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative (Stigler) - 3,506
East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Okmulgee) - 8,500
Kiamichi Electric Cooperative (Wilburton) - 3,175
Lake Region Electric Cooperative (Hulbert) - 10,200
Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Vinita) - 24,957
Ozarks Electric Cooperative (Fayetteville, Ark.) - 300
People's Electric Cooperative (Ada) - 3,544
Southeastern Electric Cooperative (Durant) - 1,500
Empire Electric which serves the far northeast corner of Oklahoma reports 400 customers without power in Quapaw and Commerce.

American Red Cross is operating shelters in the following locations:

Checotah – Multi-purpose Building
Durant – Bryan County Community Center
Eufaula – Senior Citizen Center
Grove – Senior Citizen Center and Moose Lodge
Henryetta – Community Center
Holdenville – Senior Citizen Center
Jay – Assembly of God
Langley – First Christian Church
Lawton – Centenary United Methodist Church
McAlester – First Baptist Church, First Pentecostal of God Church, Stipe Center
Muskogee – Muskogee Recreation Center and Bacone College
Perry – National Guard Armory
Pryor – Grand Memorial Auditorium, Methodist Church at Rowe and Main
Stigler – Twin Lakes Motel
Temple – City Hall
Tulsa – First Baptist Church
Warner – Fire Department

American Red Cross and local officials are prepared to open additional shelters if weather conditions and power outages warrant.

The Salvation Army reports all permanent shelters are open and accepting clients in Lawton, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Ardmore, Enid, Muskogee, Norman, and Ponca City. Shelters in Lawton, Tulsa and Oklahoma City continue to see additional clients due to the weather. They are serving meals at the shelters and providing meals to go. The Salvation Army is supporting six American Red Cross shelters with feeding. Additionally, they have provided cots, blankets and bottled water to shelters in Rose, Locust Grove, Pryor and Strang. In addition the Salvation Army is working with the Woodward City/County Emergency Management Department as needed.

The Southern Baptist Men's Disaster Response continues to prepare meals for many of the shelters. Their large-capacity feeding unit, which feeds up to 15,000 meals, is in McAlester. A second feeding is staged in Muskogee to accommodate shelters in that area.

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma, located in Oklahoma City, and the Tulsa Food Bank continue to provide food for shelter preparation.

ODOT and OHP continue to discourage unnecessary travel as some highways and interstates remain slick and hazardous and others have black ice. ODOT crews have been out in some parts of the state since early Friday morning and are making good progress in clearing roadways as they continue to plow and apply salt and sand. They have worked around the clock and will continue to do so until everything is cleared. Motorists should remain cautious while driving and as night falls, be wary of black ice which is a thin layer of ice that appears as wet pavement. Drivers should also be aware of additional hazards of sagging and downed power lines and tree branches. ODOT reports the following road closures due to high water and downed power lines:

SH-63 east of Kiowa - Pittsburg County
SH-31 west of McAlester - Pittsburg County
US-69 Business in McAlester - Pittsburg County
SH-82 south of Red Oak - Latimer County
For information regarding Oklahoma roads, call 888-425-2385. For road conditions in neighboring states call: Texas, 800-452-9292; Kansas, 886-511-5368; Arkansas, 800-245-1672; and Missouri, 800-222-6400.

Clear skies tonight will result in temperatures reaching the single digits across the state with winds light and variable. Tomorrow most of the state will remain below freezing as bitterly cold temperatures continue. Tuesday night will see another round of single digit temperatures with a warming trend starting on Wednesday.

Anyone who suspects price gouging is urged to contact the Oklahoma Attorney General's Consumer Protection Unit at 405-521-2029. On Sunday, Oklahoma Attorney General Drew Edmondson announced Oklahoma's price gouging statute is in effect in all 77 Oklahoma counties after Gov. Brad Henry on Friday declared a state of emergency for the entire state. The price gouging statute prohibits an increase of more than 10 percent in the price of most goods and services when a state of emergency has been declared. Edmondson said investigators will look into any price gouging reports his office receives.

The State EOC continues to utilize the 2-1-1 system as a resource for non-emergency disaster information services. 2-1-1 is the number to call for access to non-emergency health, human service, and disaster related information. Just dial "2-1-1" from any phone in 36 Oklahoma Counties (see the lists below where 2-1-1 is available). Phones are answered 24/7/365. If you are calling from a rotary dial telephone or large phone system, such as PBX, please access 2-1-1 services through the 10-digit telephone numbers listed below. In counties where 2-1-1 is not available, residents should contact local emergency management officials or the American Red Cross for assistance.

Tulsa 2-1-1 Helpline (918-836-4357)
Creek, Okmulgee, Osage, Rogers, Tulsa, Wagoner

HeartLine 2-1-1, Central Oklahoma (405-286-4057)
Canadian, Cleveland, Grady, Kingfisher, Lincoln, Logan, McClain, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie

2-1-1 of Southeastern Oklahoma (580-332-0558)
Atoka, Bryan, Carter, Choctaw, Coal, Garvin, Haskell, Hughes, Jefferson, Johnston, Latimer, LeFlore, Love, Marshall, McCurtain, Murray, Pittsburg, Pontotoc, Pushmataha, Seminole, Stephens

For assistance in Comanche County, please call Helpline (580-355-7575) - note that 2-1-1 is not active in Comanche County at this time.

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