North Texas residents without electricity find ways to keep warm

NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) – ERCOT says it’s ready for this winter weather system, with enough headroom to meet projected demand. However, you may experience some local power outages.

Oncor says nearly 19,000 customers are currently affected. Most of them take place in east Texas.

For the past 24 hours, Andrew Ventura’s truck has been his second home.

A place to warm up and turn on your phone.

“There have been some pretty severe power outages here,” Venutra said. “It started last night around 6:00 pm, 7:00 pm… and then it went on all night until 4 or 5 am. The power came back on and then went off again a few hours later and hasn’t been working since.”

Moses Shrem, who also has no power, must take care of the newborn.

“It’s hard without electricity … and it’s cold,” Shrem said. “[The baby was] was born three weeks ago and it’s cold inside, so we’re trying to warm him up… but the fireplace is inefficient and heavy.”

An Oncor spokesperson says this is the worst weather for power outages due to ice and sleet on trees.

“And you know, once the ice starts to build up, when it reaches at least a quarter of an inch, then it becomes critical,” Oncor spokesman Andy Morgan said. “And it starts to add more and more weight to these branches and tree branches and they start to sag or break.”

Now the energy brigades are in “assault mode”. Work in shifts 16 hours a day.

They brought in local contractors and additional materials such as poles, transformers and wires. They have been strategically placed to minimize disruptions and allow crews to respond quickly, but they still ask North Texas residents to be patient.

“We wanted to go to friends, but I don’t think we will drive because it’s dangerous … especially with a child,” Shrem said.

“I recommend that they stay at home,” Ventura said. “Be careful on the roads and try to keep warm as much as possible… it’s quite dangerous outside.”

With winter weather approaching, there is a good chance we will see more of these local outages tomorrow.

The Oncor crews are looking forward to another busy day. One thing they want to emphasize is that if you see a power line break, call 911 immediately. Keep your children and pets away.

And if you experience a power outage, contact your local power supplier.

Oncor has four ways to report an outage:

1. MyOncor mobile app – oncor.com/app
2. Send a message “Out” to 66267.
3. Call (888) 313-4747
4. Go online at stormcenter.oncor.com