GARRISON, Texas (KTRE) – Following the winter freeze that has been sweeping across East Texas, Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative has reported around 24,000 customers without power.
Now, three days later, around 10,000 customers were still waiting for power to be restored, and some residents may face another week without electricity.
While the cooperative hopes to restore power for most by Sunday, they definitely recognize the frustration and need.
“It’s kind of a situation where you plan for the worst and you hope for the best, so we hope that we can restore it much sooner to most folks by Sunday. But the reality is that it could take by Sunday for us to restore everyone’s power,” Brittney Ford, director of communications for the Deep East Texas Electric Cooperative, said.
The ice storm has been particularly brutal in certain areas. Cities like Garrison, Tenaha, Timpson and Joaquin have borne the brunt of the damage, with higher ice accumulation creating additional challenges for restoration crews.
The widespread damage in these communities means they require more time and resources to get back online compared to other affected areas.
For residents like Brian Patterson, the outage has taken its toll.
“It’s been hard,” he explained. “We got power but the rest of my friends and family don’t have power. We come together and hope for the best—that’s about it.”
Ford stressed that the areas hardest hit aren’t necessarily the most difficult to access—they simply sustained more damage.
“Those areas in Garrison and Tenaha and Timpson and Joaquin were heavily impacted. They saw higher ice accumulation. It’s not that they’re not as accessible as the other areas, they just have more damages,” she explained.
As restoration efforts continue, Ford recommends that those without power report their outages two to three times a day to help keep them updated.
She also stressed the importance of safety, urging residents to maintain a safe distance from downed power lines and to always assume they are live and dangerous, and to allow crews space to work.
Ford says that residents with questions can contact the cooperative through phone or their website.
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