News from the Oklahoma Corporation Commission

Jim Palmer, Director of Information

May 5, 1999

OG&E…

Approximately 26,000 customers without electric service. About half of the 26,000 customers cannot take power because of structural damage from the storms. OG&E crews are working house to house in the storm damaged areas to make repairs and restore power to structures able to receive it. Demolished and unsafe structures will have their electric meters pulled or "booted" until repairs are made. Two more transmission lines delivering power to the Oklahoma City area will be restored by late today. Power to the cities of Enid and Sapulpa is expected to be restored by late today. The town of Crescent remains without power. OG&E spokesman Paul Renfrow says crews have been treated "beautifully" by people. He says everyone is being very patient and cooperative. Walkup service centers are located in the hardest hit areas in Moore at the New City Center, 12th Ave. and I-35, and in Del City at Brannon’s, SE 29th and Sunnylane.

PSO…

All PSO customers in the storm damaged areas of Tulsa and Chickasha were restored to service by 11:00 p.m.Tuesday night. Work continues on the 345 KV line knocked out 7 miles west of Stroud. Construction is being expedited with completion expected within a week.

(OAEC) Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives…

Fewer than 3,000 customers remain without power. The Cooperatives hope to have all customers who can safely receive electric service back on line no later than Friday. Central Rural Electric in Stillwater had 1,400 customers without power at 6:00 a.m. this morning. CREC was scheduled to have two 2,000 KW generators from Tulsa fully operational at noon today which will greatly reduce the number of customers without power in its western service area. CREC lost a total of 28 miles of distribution powerlines in the hardhit Mulhall, Orlando and Perry areas. Eight crews are expected to work the rest of the week to restore those lines. KAMO Power is rebuilding more than 6 miles of 69 KV transmission line in the Perry, Mulhall and Orlando areas. (continued)…

OAEC continued…

750 Norman area customers of Oklahoma Electric Cooperative were without power at 6:00 a.m. this morning. Ten crews from Oklahoma and Texas are working the Norman area. Crews will also be working to restore 15 miles of distribution line from Cyril to Cement to Chickasha to Blanchard to Newcastle to Moore. OEC says families who decide to rebuild in the areas of total devastation will receive full assistance with their electrical needs. Cimarron Electric in Kingfisher had power restored to all but 700 customers at 6:00 a.m. this morning. All substations supplied by Western Farmers are up and running. Crews are replacing more than 100 power poles in the Okarche, Crescent, Dover, Kingfisher and El Reno areas.

Southwestern Bell (SWB)…

Bell reports all of its central offices have power restored except for the Mulhall office. SWB wishes to let everyone know that business and residential customers without phone service in the storm damaged areas will be offered free call forwarding and call notes voice messaging for the next 30 days. The number for more information is 800-464-7928.

ONG…

Oklahoma Natural Gas expects to restore service to approximately 1,200 of its 8,500 storm disconnected customers within about the next 24 hours. Most of those will be on the perimeter of the devastated areas. ONG’s Don Sherry says within a week they hope to have service restored to all customers whose homes and businesses are safely able to receive service. Some crews from Kansas Gas Service Co. are in Oklahoma to help ONG crews. As they go house to house, ONG is leaving door hangers with contact information for the owners.

-occ-