Hundreds lose power during ice storm

Feb. 22--A visit from Old Man Winter kept various emergency, city and county officials busy and left many residents without power.

Cooke County Emergency Management Coordinator Ray Fletcher said all four of the county's precincts were impacted by the ice storm Wednesday.

"More east than west, but everyone was impacted," Fletcher said.

The city of Gainesville activated its Emergency Response Center at 4 p.m. Wednesday, according to City Secretary Caitlyn Huddleston.

At one point, Oncor reported 2,600 customers were without power, she said. As of 2 p.m. Thursday, Oncor's power outage map showed 33 outages with 321 customers affected in the city of Gainesville.

A representative with the Cooke County Electric Cooperative Association said around noon Thursday that approximately 3,500 customers were still without power.

All the company's linemen, as well as contractors, were working to restore power, according to the Cooke County Electric Cooperative Association's website.

The American Red Cross opened a warming station at the Gainesville Civic Center 311 S. Weaver St, at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday. Only six people came to the shelter.

Due to low attendance, the shelter was closed at 9:45 p.m. and the American Red Cross coordinated overnight arrangements for those in need, according to a news release issued by the city of Gainesville.

Gainesville Fire-Rescue spokeswoman Tamara Sieger said the first weather-related call the department received was at 7:49 a.m. Wednesday for a tree that fell on a vehicle in the 1400 block of Culberson Street.

There were no injuries, she said.

As of 9 a.m. Thursday, the city's dispatch had received 116 weather-related calls for service, according to Huddleston.

Officials said city police, fire, streets, utilities and solid waste departments "worked diligently" to respond to the calls, which included downed and arcing power lines, downed trees and blocked roadways.

"The city would like to express our sincere appreciation for the Era, Lindsay and Muenster Volunteer Fire Departments who provided assistance during the storm," the release states.

Icy conditions also altered schedules for many school districts. Gainesville Independent School District let out early Wednesday and delayed opening until 10 a.m. on Thursday.

While there were a few reports of some icy spots on area roads, downed trees and power lines were what blocked roadways, Fletcher said.

"The Texas Department of Transportation did a great job treating the roads," he said.

Around 8 a.m. Thursday, northbound and southbound lanes on Interstate Highway 35 were closed near Farm-to-Market Road 1306 due to a power line down across all lanes of traffic, officials said. The highway reopened at 1 p.m.

City officials advise residents to contact their insurance company and a private tree removal company if a tree has fallen on their property.

" If you hire a private tree removal company, please make sure that the price they quote includes removal of the tree debris and not placement on the curb for city crews to haul away," according to the release.

Huddleston said the Solid Waste Transfer Station will be open Friday from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m.

Residents must present their city utility bill and a driver's license. Brush drop off is free for residents. Contractors will be charged per ton.

For brush left at the curb by residents, pick up will begin the week of Feb. 26.

As the rain continues, flooding on low-water crossings could be the next issue that arises, Fletcher said.

"We already have some reports in Precinct 2," he said.

There is a 70 to 80 percent chance of rain Friday and Saturday, according to a 7-day forecast from the National Weather Service. Friday's high is expected to be around 50 degrees.

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