Complete restoration has been achieved for PSO customers across Oklahoma effected by the March 14th wind event. Customer outages peaked at 25,663 Friday afternoon and were 95% restored by 8 a.m. Saturday morning. Complete restoration was achieved Saturday by 5 p.m.
"I want to thank our customers across the state as well as all of our hard-working crews out in the field,” said Leigh Anne Strahler, President and COO of PSO. “From line crews and servicers to our forestry team and technicians, our entire organization put in long hours to restore power safely and quickly.”
This wind event brought sustained high winds near 40 mph with gusts near 70 mph across much of the PSO service territory, causing damage to PSO’s system. Over a 24-hour period crews replaced approximately 100 utility poles, 50 cross arms, and 25,000 feet of wire. This work was made more challenging due to high winds, which limited our field crews' ability to use bucket trucks for repairs.
PSO would like to thank customers for their patience and trust during this unprecedented wind event. Our team proactively engages in pre-event activities to prepare for weather events like this. Those activities include the following:
- Patrolling lines to mitigate potential faults, including the use of drones.
- Adjusting work plans to focus on emergency response. Generation, Transmission and Distribution groups have adjusted work schedules to focus on pro-active patrols, monitoring, and responding when needed.
- Inspecting equipment and holding electrical safety training sessions with local fire departments throughout the year.
- Coordinating with local emergency management authorities.