Situation Update

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Situation Update 26

January 19, 2007 -- 4:00 p.m.

* * * Traveler's Advisory * * *

Travelers through the eastern portion of Oklahoma will not be able to pump gas due to the power outages. The affected area is the US Hwy 69 Corridor from Texas to Kansas and east to the Arkansas/Missouri borders.

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 64,350 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 18,378 customers are without power throughout the state. Highest PSO outages are reported in McAlester, where 9,629 are without power, in Wilburton 3,366, Chouteau 2,562 and Grove 2,237. Atoka and Vinita also experiencing power outages.

OG&E reports 9,077 customers are without power. The largest OG&E outages are in Muskogee with 6,702, Checotah, 1,082, and Eufaula 742. Others in Porum and Warner.

Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives reports 36,494 electric cooperative customers are without power. OAEC reports more than 2,566 utility poles are down in the cooperative service area. 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) - 165
Cookson Hills Electric Cooperative (Stigler) - 590
East Central Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Okmulgee) - 8,050
Kiamichi Electric Cooperative (Wilburton) - 9,800
Lake Region Electric Cooperative (Hulbert) - 5,660
Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Vinita) - 10,673
People's Electric Cooperative (Ada) - 1,556
GRDA (Pryor) - 400
Empire Electric serving far northeast corner of Oklahoma 1 customer without power.

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