Garland

‘Our Guys Have Been Working Tirelessly': Garland City Crews Work Around the Clock

Crews on standby ahead of potential freezing overnight

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In some areas of Garland Thursday the layers of ice proved to be heavy for some trees.

“I’ve heard of an outage that has tree branches on the lines, a couple of those actually,” said Elizabeth Kimbrough, Electric Communications Manager for Garland Power & Light.

At one point the GP&L outage map showed two trouble spots, estimating at least 60 customers were without power.

Garland Power & Light map showed two trouble spots Thursday morning.

“The Carroll location, it was a location where our trucks could not get in,” Kimbrough said.

On Thursday morning, several homeowners on the 1400 block of Carroll Drive were left without power for several hours after a tree fell on a transformer.

Garland Power & Light crews respond to outage on Carroll Drive.

Aurelio Guerrero said he heard a large crack around 8:30 Thursday morning. He said he was able to keep his home warm thanks to his gas fireplace.

The only problem, according to Guerrero, was that he had to take down part of the wooden fence that divides his front and backyard as well as a metal fence in the backyard.

“The guys had to walk in, carry the equipment that they needed to carry the transformer and actually climb the poles to resolve that issue,” Kimbrough said.

At the time of the interview, Kimbrough was not able to clarify who would be responsible for repairs.

Meanwhile, crews remain on standby for any issues.

“We had our crews in, and we have access to the contractors, tree trimming and overhead and underground mine contractors as needed,” Kimbrough said.

By Thursday night, the focus shifts back to the City Street Department, responsible in part for street sanding during severe weather response.

According to Assistant City Manager, Crystal Owens, the Street Department was been working under 24-hour shifts since Monday.

“We were run, I want to say, six crews,” Owens said. “Our crew is consisting of one truck, a spreader and then a trailer truck. So, we run six crews at a time on 24-hour shifts.”

Although the ice has melted, the city has deemed it necessary to continue with 24-hour services for the roadways.

“We are still going to have our night crew to come in simply because we're concerned with what's on the roadways that may refreeze, especially in the elevated areas or intersections,” Owens said.

Authorities continue to urge drivers to be cautious if out on the roads.

“We are just looking forward to the end of this,” Owens said. “Our guys have been working tirelessly, and I give a significant shout-out and kudos to the Street Department for all that they have accomplished.”

If you are a GP&L customer and have an outage, call 972-205-3000 or text 972-205-4000.

According to the city's official Instagram page, City of Garland offices and facilities will reopen at 10 a.m. on Friday, February 3.

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