Situation Update

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Situation Update 23
January 18, 2007 -- 4:00 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.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports statewide, about 67,275 electric customers are without power. Utilities are having a difficult time repairing damage due to continued freezing temperatures. Typically, this far into an ice storm restoration, significant melting would have occurred. This is not the case with this storm, which presents an ongoing threat to the electric systems. Anticipated snow this weekend could further hamper restoration efforts.

PSO reports 19,535 customers are without power throughout the state. Highest PSO outages are reported in McAlester, where 13,577 are without power, in Chouteau where 2,326 are without power and in Grove where 1,585 are without power. Other communities experiencing power outages are Atoka, Vinita and Wilburton.

OG&E reports 12,120 customers are without power. The largest OG&E outages are in Muskogee with 9,039, in Checotah, with 2,334, and in Porum, with 508. Other outages are reported in Ardmore, Eufaula, Haskell, Oktaha, and Warner.

Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reports 34,619 electric cooperative customers are without power. OAEC reports more than 2,145 utility poles are down in the cooperative service area. Approximately 55 - 60 transmission structures are damaged. Below is a list of electric cooperatives, the location of their office and the number of power outages.

Canadian Valley (Seminole) - 800
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative (Stigler) - 1,100
East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Okmulgee) - 8,086
Kiamichi Electric Cooperative (Wilburton) - 3,467
Lake Region Electric Cooperative (Hulbert) - 6,050
Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Vinita) - 11,932
People's Electric Cooperative (Ada) - 3,164
Southeastern Electric Cooperative (Durant) - 20
GRDA (Pryor) - 1,000
Empire Electric which serves the far northeast corner of Oklahoma reports 1 customer without power in Quapaw and Commerce.

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