POTEAU, Okla. — Thunderstorms with high-powered winds, rain and hail have hit eastern Oklahoma causing downed power lines in Poteau.
The strong storms hitting the River Valley area Thursday, July 20, caused multiple powerlines to fall and tree limbs to snap.
There are reports of trees down in the Coal Hill area as well.
According to the National Weather Service, there are reports of winds over 60 miles per hour in Poteau.
As of 5:20 p.m., over 4,000 OG&E customers are without power.
OG&E released a statement Thursday night reading:
"As of 8:00 p.m. Thursday, approximately 5,500 customers are without service, down from a peak of 9,500 earlier in the day. The majority of our customers currently experiencing outages are in the communities of: Muldrow, Poteau, Roland, Vian and Muskogee, Oklahoma, as well as Fort Smith, Arkansas.
Crews will assess damage and restore power through the night, as storm impact is across a wide geographic area. OG&E is mobilizing approximately 300 personnel and bringing additional materials to the area to restore power and repair damaged equipment as safely and as quickly as possible.
We are aware that power lines are down in many areas. Please stay safe and stay away from downed power lines and anything they are touching. Report downed power lines by calling 800-522-6870. Customers can also alert us of outages online when logged into their OG&E account, or by text when they sign up for myOGEalerts."
The company is asking customers to ensure our crews have access and that you secure any animals as crews work to restore power. It is also reminding customers that vegetation crews will take tree and brush debris from the customer's yard to the curb but will not remove this debris.
Pocola residents are without water due to storm damage. Crews are working to restore water.
Click here to view the reported power outages in Oklahoma and click here to view the ones in Arkansas.
Thunderstorms cause downed powerlines in River Valley
Stay with 5NEWS for updates on these severe storms.
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