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Henry seeks more disaster aid for 7 counties

Gov. Brad Henry made an initial request Saturday for a major disaster declaration for seven Oklahoma counties, including Tulsa County, affected by the ice storm.

Meanwhile, utility crews in the Tulsa metropolitan area continued to chip away at the number of power outages, which was down to 57,000 homes and businesses by mid-evening.

Most customers should regain service by Tuesday.

The other counties listed in Henry's federal disaster request are Cleveland, Lincoln, Mayes, Oklahoma, Pottawatomie and Wagoner.

Mayor Kathy Taylor said one only needs to take a short drive through Tulsa to see that a major disaster has taken place.

"We hope the president considers this request expeditiously," she said.

State officials said preliminary cost estimates for just debris removal and utility damage in the seven counties exceed $30.4 million.

As the damage assessment continues, more counties will be added to the request and that dollar figure will increase.

Henry said earlier last week that the

"The ice storm that swept through Oklahoma last weekend has been nothing short of catastrophic," he said.

"The storm impacted hundreds of thousands of Oklahomans, many of whom are still discovering the full extent of the devastation."

If approved, a major disaster declaration would make the state, counties and cities eligible for reimbursement for a portion of the costs of the storm response and infrastructure damage.

It also would help uninsured residents and businesses by providing low-interest loans and grants for temporary housing and repairs and other financial programs.

Snow fell Saturday in the Tulsa area as utility workers continued power restoration efforts.

"Our guys are used to working in all kinds of weather," said Preston Kissman, the vice president of distribution for American Electric Power-Public Service Company of Oklahoma.

"It may slow them down a bit, but it won't stop them, rest assured of that."

The ice storm caused up to 246,000 outages in the Tulsa metro area out of roughly 300,000 on AEP-PSO's grid.

"We've made good progress," Kissman said. "I know people who are still waiting for their electricity are getting frustrated, but we're working as quickly as possible."

Tulsa's outages spiked Saturday afternoon because of the wintry weather but began to decline again.

The ice storm caused more than 600,000 outages statewide in what has been described as the largest blackout in Oklahoma history.

Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. was reporting about 96,000 outages, with most in the Oklahoma City area.

In Tulsa, 2,400 utility line workers and 2,200 tree cutters, most of whom were summoned from out of state, are using the fairgrounds as their base of operations.

They are working from sunup to sundown, Kissman said. For the first few days, they had been working until 11 p.m.

"That was really pushing them too hard," Kissman said. "They are only human.

"But if they are in an area where they can get something done by working an extra hour or so, they'll do it."

EMSA established a medical station at the fairgrounds to treat the workers for hand lacerations, dog bites and other injuries.

The station's staff includes University of Oklahoma physicians, who can write prescriptions, stitch wounds and handle other advanced care.

"The goal of this is to keep them well so they can keep working," EMSA's spokeswoman Tina Wells said of the utility workers.

Kissman said utility work is scheduled through early Tuesday, and the hope is that everyone who can be reconnected by then will be.

About 15,000 outages are related to the meter head being damaged or torn off the structure, he said.

The home or business owner must schedule the meter for repair by a licensed electrician before AEP-PSO can restore service.

"I urge people who have had that happen to get on someone's list now," Kissman said.

"We've already received hundreds of notices from electricians saying they've completed the repair work so that we can do our end of it."

To speed the process, the city has waived inspections.

Both the city and AEP-PSO are conducting media campaigns to encourage people still without power to check their meters for damage.

The snow that was supposed to total up to 3 inches in the Tulsa area ended up being a light dusting, said Pete Snyder, a National Weather Service meteorologist.

"We expected something bigger, but that went toward the north and west," he said.

As snowflakes hit the ground, they quickly melted because temperatures were above freezing in the daylight hours. "It's good news for the people out restoring the power," Snyder said.

Public Works Department crews were out in force, salting down the city's roads just in case.

"Our city crews have stopped picking up branches for the time being and are out with the spreaders, but we don't expect it to get that bad," said Dan Crossland, the department's deputy director of public facilities.

Brian Barber 581-8322
brian.barber@tulsaworld.com