Situation Update

Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Situation Update 6
January 13, 2007 -- noon

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.

Gov. Brad Henry's State of Emergency declaration for all 77 Oklahoma counties remains in effect. The declaration reiterates the availability of all state resources to Oklahoma cities, towns and counties. It also provides a formal mechanism for local governments to seek reimbursement for recovery costs through the state's disaster public assistance program should conditions warrant.

OEM is working with the Oklahoma Department of Transportation (ODOT) to deliver a generator to the Hughes County town of Calvin (pop. 279). The generator is needed to keep the town's water treatment plant on-line due to power outages in the community.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reports statewide, about 40,000 homes are without power.

PSO reports about 17,000 customers are without power throughout the state. Highest PSO outages are reported in McAlester, where 8,278 are without power, in Chouteau, where 2,287 are without power, and in Grove where 1,878 are without power. Other communities experiencing power outages are Duncan, Hobart, Tipton, Lawton, Okmulgee, Wilburton, Atoka, Tulsa and Vinita.

About 16,700 electric cooperative customers are without power, according to the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives. Kiamichi Electric Cooperative (Wilburton) reports about 2,000 customers without electric power in Pittsburg County, primarily in the McAlester area. Crews are out clearing ice-laden tree limbs from some parts of the system which experienced ice accumulations in the one-half to one inch range. People's Electric Cooperative (Ada) reports 3,712 consumer outages primarily in Ada, Allen, Stratford, Roff, Pauls Valley, Ashland, Holdenville, and Coalgate. Northeast Oklahoma Electric Cooperative (Vinita) reports approximately 11,000 customers without power primarily south of I-44 in southern and southeastern Mayes and Delaware counties. Most of the outages are due to ice-laden tree limbs falling through power lines.

OG&E reports about 5,500 without power. The largest OG&E outage is in Muskogee where 2,475 are without power. Other outages are reported in Ardmore, Chouteau, Eufaula, Okay, Porum, Stonewall and Wilson.

Officials with the ODOT and the Department of Public Safety continue to discourage travel on the state's highways and interstates which are slick and hazardous in most areas. ODOT reports high water has required the following road closings: State Highway 131 in Atoka County; State Highway 63 in Pittsburg County between Kiowa and Haileyville; and, State Highway 31 west of McAlester in Pittsburg County. Also US-270 near Krebs is closed due to a downed power line. Crews continue to plow and deliver salt and sand on highways and interstates statewide. For information regarding Oklahoma roads, call 888-425-2385. For road conditions in neighboring states call: Texas, 888-425-2385; Kansas, 886-511-5368; Arkansas, 800-245-1672; and Missouri, 800-222-6400.

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