Garland Power & Light says power has been restored to all customers in southeast Garland after storms on Sunday knocked down transmission lines that service around 400 homes.
Power crews worked through heavy rains on Tuesday to restore power to neighborhoods in southeast Garland.
Garland Power & Light said crews worked around the clock to rebuild transmission and distribution lines.
The power company says is you are still without power to call 972-205-3000.
"They have been going 24/7," said Shelia Towns, who is house-sitting at a home near Wynn Joyce Road.
Heavy transmission lines are laying across the roof, but the home has power.
Other neighbors have been without power since Sunday. Those homes received letters from GP&L Tuesday morning, reporting that power is expected to be restored Friday.
"They said hopefully everything will be good to go by Friday," Megan Tingey said. "So it's just roughing it, so to speak, until then."
Tingey's five kids have been camping in the living room where the family borrowed a generator to power the fridge and a fan.
"They're on the couch at night with the one fan that's hooked up to the generator," Tingey said. "We're mostly eating out because we can't use our oven or our stove."
She said Tuesday's storms, which brought cooler temperatures, will help the family get through the next few days.
While the neighborhoods without power have underground service to the individual homes, the lines that carry the power to the point that the service goes underground must be rebuilt. These lines are on Wynn Joyce Road from Larkin Lane to Bluffview Drive.
The damage includes 18 tall transmission poles that snapped. Five shorter poles that carry only distribution wire in between the taller poles also need replacing.
"The crazy thing was that it was just so quick," said neighbor Jeannine Schweers.
One minute she and her husband Ken Schweers were working in their home offices, the next, the wind suddenly kicked up.
"And we just heard this big crack, thinking it was lightning but now I'm not sure it was lighting, we're wondering if it was the poles cracking," Schweers said.
All up and down Wynn Joyce Road on Sunday, neighbors discovered the same thing. Winds powerful enough to snap thick utility poles in half, crashing into fences and yards.
The Schweers are staying with family for the rest of the week.
"Having to pack clothes, having to move in with somebody else is a big disruption," Schweers said. "But in the grand scheme of things it's not because we're glad the pole didn't fall on the house or catch the house on fire. None of our neighbors are injured."
Luckily the only damage in their backyard is to fences and a tin shed tossed aside by the winds.
"It fell back this way and took that part of the fence down with it," Ken Schweers said.
A powerful storm, leaving neighbors with a new appreciation for just how quickly Mother Nature can take its toll.
"It was a hurricane, it was a tornado, it was short but it was every bit as powerful," Ken Schweers said.
Repair crews are making progress. They restored power to an apartment complex up Wynn Joyce Road Monday afternoon.
Garland Police say ten officers and a supervisor are on special assignment in the neighborhood to watch over homes that are in the dark. The extra officers will be stationed in the neighborhoods day and night, according to Garland Police.
During this extended power outage, GP&L offers the following advice:
- Use an ice chest to keep perishable foods and medication cold. Monitor the temperature with a thermometer.
- A full, closed freezer will hold its temperature for about 48 hours.
- To prevent carbon monoxide exposure, only use portable generators outside in well-ventilated areas, never inside a home or garage.
- Do not connect a generator directly to household wiring. Instead connect it directly to what you are powering. For example, you may wish to run your refrigerator and a few lamps.
- Unplug electronics to keep them from being damaged by a power surge when electric service is restored.
- Close blinds and drapes to help keep your home cool.
- If your home is becoming uncomfortably warm, drink plenty of fluids and avoid doing any strenuous work. You can also take a bath or shower to cool off, or sponge yourself with cool water. Avoid caffeine and alcohol.
- If you feel it is too warm to stay in your home, go to a library, theater, school, shopping mall or other air-conditioned facility during the warmest part of the day.
- Flashlights are a safe way to light your home during a power outage.
- Use careful supervision if lighting your home with candles.
- Charge mobile devices at a friend or relative's home, at your workplace, or while driving in your car.
- Never leave a person or pet in a parked vehicle, even if the windows are open.
- During a power outage, water is still safe for drinking and washing.
- Communicate with family and neighbors to share updates or check if they need assistance.
