Some Austin Energy customers may not have power again for a week, the company said on February 5, radio station KUT 90.5 reported on February 6.
“Now we focus on the more complex and time-consuming restoration work. Oncoming wind and rain will create additional problemsthe power provider said in a statement. — Based on current information, we expect to restore power to nearly all remaining consumers by Sunday, February 12.
According to Austin Energy’s outage map, about 23,000 customers remained without power as of noon on February 6. The utility company said residents without power who need a place to stay can call a special phone number to stay overnight.
Strong winds expected Tuesday could cause large numbers of trees and branches to fall on power lines and further damage, City Manager Spencer Cronk said at a news conference. According to him, the main cause of blackouts are fallen trees and tree branches. He advised residents not to park their cars under trees.
“I’m sorry for how long this has been going on”said Jackie Sargent, CEO of Austin Energy, at a news conference. She said the city was facing “hurricane-level destruction” and that most outages are complex and take time to resolve.
When asked about refunds for customers due to power outages, Sargent said the utility company would not provide them because the damage was caused by a natural disaster.
Kronk said 36 traffic lights were still dark. Drivers are advised to treat these intersections as four-way stops.
School districts in the Austin area are preparing to reopen campuses Monday after last week’s ice storm forced classes to close.
On Saturday, Governor Greg Abbott declared a natural disaster for Travis, Hayes and Williamson counties. State funds and resources will now be allocated to these Central Texas counties. Austin and Travis counties issued distress statements Friday, while Hayes and Williamson counties released them earlier this week.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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