(Cushing)- Cushing Residents are being told to conserve water as a result of the ongoing ice storm.
Cushing emergency Management Director Bob Noltsenmeyer told KUSH today that several city water wells were without power to pump, leaving the city with about two days worth of water in storage. Noltsenmeyer says that city crews are working to hook up generators to the water wells so that more water can be pumped, but that in the meantime, water should be conserved because of the ongoing danger for fires and other emergency needs.
The ice storm has knocked out electricity to more than a third of Cushing, more than a thousand households and businesses, and has caused problems virtually statewide.
Cushing Schools will be canceled for a 2nd day on Tuesday, as several of the schools don’t have power. Cushing school superintendent Dr. Eddie Williams tells KUSH that many of the county roads are still covered with fallen tree limbs.
CREC issued a statement about it’s efforts in the power outages today. Communications Specialist Larry Mattox says more than 2700 CREC customers are without power.
“Presently, we are estimating 2,750 members without power. Significant accumulation of more than one inch of ice has occurred in the areas of Cushing, Chandler, Luther and Stroud. The path of the ice storm has followed the I-44 corridor. Most of the outages have been southeast of a line from Luther to Cushing. We are now starting to see more outages in the central part of our territory near Stillwater. Forecasts are calling for increased winds which will lead to further challenges in restoring power and may cause more outages. Damage includes down power lines, downed tree limbs in power lines, and broken poles. We are aware of structure damage and are currently assessing the extent of the damage at this time. CREC has added more line and right-of-way crews to expedite the process. Customers should take actions to ensure their safety during a power outage that could last several days. Stay clear of down power lines and trees that may have fallen through power lines.”
The National Weather Service is predicting more freezing precipitation through tomorrow morning, and a possibility for more Tuesday night. Daytime temperatures on Tuesday should get above freezing for enough of the day to give a bit of a melt-off, but major power providers such as OG&E and PSO are telling customers it could be days before power is restored.
