Oncor said the series of thunderstorms that wreaked havoc across North Texas last week was the worst in the company’s 112-year history.
Power suppliers said Thursday that the May 28 storm was the second-worst in terms of the 650,000 reported outages, but the worst when considering both power outages and damage to equipment and facilities that needed repairs.
A series of thunderstorms on Tuesday brought more intense rain and flooding, which had the knock-on effect of damaging more equipment, leaving even more people offline and causing extended delays in the restoration of power service, the company said.
The hardest hit areas in Dallas County were North Dallas, East Dallas and Mesquite, according to the company.
Dallas City Council Member Paula Blackmon, who represents East Dallas’ 9th District, is calling on Oncor to investigate all that contributed to the extended outages.
“While we appreciate the work that was done after the storm, East Dallas communities experienced significant quality of life impacts during the power outages,” the memo states. “We want to understand what happened and how we can work together to create a resilient community.”
Hillside neighborhood resident Bruce Applequist said his home had been without power for five days. Luckily, he and his wife packed medicine and headed to their son’s house.
The $200 worth of groceries in the refrigerator and freezer were gone, but they were safe and in air conditioning instead of stifling heat. Applequist drove around the back of the house to see if the power had returned, only to be disappointed again and again.
“We looked across the street and the people across the street had power,” he recalled. “We thought it was just temporary, but it wasn’t.”
Applequist said he doesn’t recall any power lines or trees falling nearby during heavy rains, leaving him wondering what could have gone wrong.
“I don’t know if it was because of the trees or if it was because the wires broke on the poles,” he said.
Blackmon is interested in finding answers to those questions, too.
She is asking Oncor to provide details about the extent of damage caused to East Dallas infrastructure, crew deployment and response times, emergency communications protocols and measures being taken to prevent similar delays in the future.
“The purpose of this effort is to look at what we’ve done well, what we can improve, where we can improve our infrastructure,” Blackmon said in an interview with NBC 5. “This isn’t about somebody else saying they failed and I succeeded. What we’re really looking at is, what do we need to do to work better, not just work harder?”
Blackmon gave two storm-related examples: Despite access to Oncor’s outage map, she said she would like to see more specific indications of where major outages are occurring and quicker availability of city resources, such as cooling centers for residents.
“We didn’t know specifically where the so-called hot spots were in terms of who was losing power,” she said.
Another improvement she would like to see from leaders involves debris removal.
“If we’re out there cutting trees or moving stuff off the road,” she said, “I’ve heard they need to trim some alleys so they can get to the power lines. If our team is there, why not just do it so their team can get through? I’d love to brainstorm ways we can do it better and not have to work as hard.”
“In many of these areas, the outages were among the most complex and time-consuming, requiring the reconfiguration of distribution infrastructure and the replacement of poles and transformers,” an Oncor spokesman said in a statement.
The company acknowledged there was an issue with its notification system, adding: “We are actively working to resolve the issue and have provided alternative options for customers to report outages and receive more information.”
Oncor said representatives had been in contact with city staff and council members throughout the storm, providing updates, a claim Blackmon did not dispute.
“It’s not about pointing fingers, it’s about working smarter,” Blackmon said. “We have limited resources, and these storms are going to happen more frequently, so how do we come together and get through this?”
Applequist said he and his neighbors support the city council member’s investigation on their behalf.
“Obviously, I’d like to know what it was specifically,” Applequist said.
At its peak, Oncor deployed 12,000 employees, contractors and mutual aid personnel to restore power, with more than 340,000 outages restored within 24 hours, the company said.
A company spokesman said Oncor had already scheduled meetings with several city council members to brief them on the situation after the storm and address their concerns.
Blackmon said he will meet with Oncor representatives this month and plan to hold a community meeting on the matter.
