At TCEC, one of our goals is to serve our members while also providing a safe workplace as we manage our day-to-day operations. However, like many others in our area, we are taking steps to prepare for the winter weather, and we are also encouraging everyone around us to be prepared.
- Forecasters predict heavy snow may occur Saturday into Sunday in the Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles. Weather conditions could cause an impact on travel in some areas.
- We are prepared for the approaching snow and at this time our crews are staging repair equipment and supplies.
- Residents are warned that at this time, the relatively higher probability for some level of impact from snow this weekend resides in the northwestern quadrant of the combined Oklahoma and Texas Panhandles, along with the south-central and southeastern Texas Panhandle. Please plan accordingly if you have any travel or outdoor plans this weekend.
- As a policy, during storms like this, we never shut down our power system.
- Residents and businesses in our service area should be aware and plan outdoor activities accordingly.
- Crews are standing by in the event of outages.
- When an outage occurs, power is first restored to substations and major lines, as well as to critical infrastructure in our area, such as hospitals, police departments, and other emergency responders.
- For your safety, please stay away from any downed power lines.
- Because this is a winter storm, you should prepare to properly heat your home while you are without electricity. The source might include a propane heater, a wood-burning stove, or a fireplace. Make sure you have ample firewood or propane for heating.
- If you will be heating with wood, have enough cut wood available for weeks and store the wood in a dry area. Make sure you have a clean chimney to avoid a chimney fire. If time permits, inspect your chimney for cracks to make sure smoke does not enter your home or attic.
- If you will be using propane, make sure your propane tank is full. Make sure gas heaters are vented properly to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Make sure gas heaters are clean and operating well. Also, please remember to remove flammable objects that are near gas heaters. As a further safety precaution, please make sure your smoke detectors and carbon monoxide detectors are working and have fresh batteries.
- If you are using a whole-home generator, it must have a transfer switch, installed by a licensed electrician, to prevent the generator from back-feeding into our electrical system.
- For the safety of everyone, if you are using a portable electrical generator, do not tie it into your circuit panel. An improperly wired generator can send power into downed lines, causing serious injury or death to you, a family member, a neighbor, or one of our repair crews. A generator can only be tied into a circuit panel if a licensed electrician has installed a transfer switch.
- If you will be using your own electrical generator, make sure you have ample fuel for the length of the power outage.
- Please store your fuel in a safe place away from the generator or any heat source so there is not an accidental fire.
- If you run extension cords from your generator to your appliances, make sure your extension cords meet code.
- Do not attempt to run too many appliances off of one generator because this could cause an overload and fire.
- Road conditions may keep you from leaving your home. Now is the time to stock up on necessities, such as water.
Although we post service updates to social media, we do not monitor social media for reports of outages. All outages must be reported by phone or by using the SmartHub mobile app.
- To report an outage or a downed power line, you can call 580-652-2418.
- We will post any updates to our website at tcec.coop.