WASHINGTON COUNTY, ARKANSAS, Ark. — Parts of Northwest Arkansas were affected by a power outage impacting thousands of customers, according to the Arkansas Power Outages Map on Monday morning.
From around 8 a.m. to 10 a.m., nearly 2,000 customers were without power. By 1 p.m., most of those customers were listed as having their power back on.
Outages by county (8:45 a.m.):
- Benton County: 743
- Madison County: 666
- Washington County: 1,034
OG&E spokesperson Carson Cunningham said it took about two hours to restore the power.
"A lot of times the high wind vegetation surrounding power lines can knock into power lines and things of that nature. That's why we do a lot of vegetation management to ensure the limbs are far enough away from your power lines to mitigate and really lessen and even prevent power outages in terms of high winds, and thunderstorms that blow in that they commonly do so in Arkansas," Cunningham said.
January is known as the month that receives the most snow for Arkansas and preparing for back-to-back winter storms can be a lot, which is why Cunningham says they started the groundwork in November.
"That includes all of our facilities, making sure they're winterized, making sure they can withstand severe freezing cold temperatures that we're used to seeing in the wintertime," Cunningham said. "And really, it's about monitoring the weather and ensuring that folks stay safe, stay inside, stay warm. And if should outages occur, our crews will respond safely and quickly to ensure that the power is restored to the area."
To combat potential power outages, Ozark Electric said they also have a staff to carefully monitor any severe weather for their customers.
"We have a 24-hour staffed operations center that carefully monitors all weather and outages. We have crews ready and available at all times to assist if inclement weather results in any outages,” Ashley Harris, vice president of Marketing and Communications of Ozark Electric, said.
As for what individuals can do ahead of a storm, OG&E recommends having a safety plan and continuously monitoring the roads.
"A lot of times it can cause power outages to slick roads, and they can run into power lines. So really monitor and be prepared for the situation weather-wise," Cunningham said. "I would also encourage folks to just stay on top of the weather, you can go to our OG&E mobile app as well—that gives you kind of the current list of if there are outages in your area, and you can stay up to date, up to the minute with when power will be restored."
Southwestern Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) recommends customers to plan and decide now what they would do if there is an extended power outage. It's important to take into account if any family member needs uninterrupted electric services for health reasons. Additionally, make sure family, friends, and other emergency contacts' information is up to date.
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