TULSA, Okla. (February 26, 2023 – 7 p.m.) – Public Service Company of Oklahoma issues the following statement Sunday evening in anticipation of severe storms expected in the state tonight:
PSO is preparing for possible weather-related outages across our service area.
PSO is coordinating with local emergency management authorities and will continue to provide updates as the situation unfolds. If you have questions related to your PSO power, call 1-833-776-7697 (1-833-PSO-POWR) or visit our website at psoklahoma.com/outages.
As of 7 p.m. details of our storm response are as follows:
Weather
Severe storms are probable across PSO’s service area tonight. Potentially fast-moving and powerful storms are expected to begin in western Oklahoma around 7 p.m. and move east, arriving in the Tulsa area between 10 p.m. and midnight. High winds with the potential for tornados are possible.
Storm Preparation Efforts
- PSO has more than 1,200 lineworkers, forestry personnel and support staff ready to respond throughout its service area, which includes more than 100 off-system personnel who were called in from other parts of Oklahoma and Texas. In addition to the 1,200 personnel on site, PSO has requested over 300 additional personnel to assist in any storm restoration efforts in southwest and eastern Oklahoma.
- PSO continually prepares for all types of weather throughout the year and regularly conducts storm drills to ensure the PSO team is ready to respond immediately.
- PSO will continue to prioritize protecting the health and safety our customers first during life-threatening cold weather.
Online Resources
Safety Messages
- For safety’s sake, assume that any downed utility line is energized with deadly electric current. Stay away from the line and do not touch it with anything. Report it to PSO at 1-833-776-6884 (1-833-PSO-OUTG).
- Please do not approach crews and utility vehicles you see in your neighborhood to ask when power will be restored. Doing so could jeopardize your safety. Outward vision from the large utility vehicles can be limited. A crew may not see someone who has walked up to their work truck.
- Please note, all restoration estimates are for customers whose property is in condition to receive power. If the electric service entrance (meter loop) to your home or business has been damaged or pulled away from the structure, you will need to have it repaired by a licensed electrician before PSO can re-connect service.
Generator Safety
- Power Outage: If you use a generator, please follow the manufacturer’s operating instructions. Do not operate the unit indoors. Connect appliances directly to the generator’s electric outlets…not to the main electrical panel of your home or business unless you have had an electric load transfer switch installed to isolate your home’s wiring from PSO’s electric system. Otherwise, you jeopardize the safety of utility workers.
- Evacuation: Before you evacuate your house please disconnect (open) your home’s main electrical breaker after you turn off the generator. This will eliminate any possibility of the generator feeding power back into PSO’s electric system.
Report and Track Outages
- Visit psoklahoma.com/outages/report/ or call 1-833-776-6884 (1-833-PSO-OUTG) to report an outage, safety hazard like a downed wires, downed poles or trees that have fallen on power lines.
- Use the mobile app, available for download via the App Store or Google Play, to report an outage, check outage status, view and pay your bill, manage your account, and more.
- Visit PSOklahoma.com/OutageMap to find detailed information without logging into your account.
- Sign up for text and email updates, including estimated time of restoration, at psoklahoma.com/alerts. Follow @PSOklahoma on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Nextdoor for additional updates.
- Call PSO Customer Service Center at 1-833-776-7697 (1-833-PSO-POWR) for any other customer service issues.
How Customers can Prepare for Storms
Being prepared ahead of the storm is the first step to keeping your home and family safe. Make sure you have the PSO app downloaded on your phone and gather an emergency outage kit that includes:
- Flashlights and fresh batteries
- Battery-powered radios or televisions
- Candles, matches or lighters
- Water for drinking and cooking
- Portable heater, either oil or gas*
- Camping equipment like sleeping bags, camp stoves and lanterns
- Non-perishable food and a manual can opener
- Manufacturers' instructions for your generator (if you have one)
- Instructions for how to manually open your garage door
- Important over-the-counter medicines
*Caution: Some portable heaters can cause fires or other safety hazards when not used as specified by the manufacturer. Be sure to review the safety specifications of your specific model before using it during an outage.
About PSO
PSO, a unit of American Electric Power (Nasdaq: AEP), is an electric utility company serving more than 568,000 customer accounts in eastern and southwestern Oklahoma, powering a cleaner, brighter energy future for its customers and 232 communities. Based in Tulsa, PSO has approximately 3,800 megawatts of diverse generating capacity that primarily includes wind and natural gas. It maintains and operates more than 24,000 miles of distribution lines and 3,700 miles of transmission lines and is one of the largest distributors of wind energy in the state. Find news releases and other information at www.PSOklahoma.com. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, NextDoor and Instagram @PSOklahoma.
Media Contact:
Wayne Greene
PSO Corporate Communications
(918) 521-1474
lwgreene@aep.com