Winter Weather Update: Electric, fuel and water issues in Groesbeck

Though the ice from the recent winter storm is melting, the remnants and aftereffects continue as the area warms. Many area residents are still without electricity, local gas stations are low or out of gas and water conservation efforts have been requested by the City of Groesbeck. 

Limestone County remained under a winter storm warning until 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 2, according to the National Weather Service. Central Texas residents experienced mixed precipitation of freezing rain and sleet. The winter weather resulted in dangerous travel conditions that continued into early Thursday morning. 

GISD cancels classes Friday

Groesbeck ISD announced Thursday evening they extended its school closure through Friday, Feb. 3, due to the power outages and hazardous roads throughout the district. Friday will mark the fourth day of school closures for this week for Groesbeck. 

However, Friday athletic events have not been cancelled. Friday night High School Basketball Games will be played as scheduled vs Westwood. Groesbeck Varsity Boys and Varsity Girls Basketball makeup games against Buffalo will be Monday, Feb. 6 in Groesbeck, starting with Varsity Girls at 5:00 p.m. and followed by Varsity Boys at 6:30 p.m. There will be no JV games on Monday night. 

Fuel delay in Groesbeck

As of 8 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 2, several Groesbeck stores were out of fuel and awaiting a truck arrival per stations attendants on Friday, Feb. 3. Those without fuel were; Don's (EXXON) 202 N. Ellis St., Smart Stop Travel Center (TEXACO) 402 S. Ellis St., S&H Drive In (SHELL) 802 E. Yeagua St. Diesel was available. 

Groesbeck water customers urged to conserve water

In a press release by the City of Groesbeck, the city water plant facility is currently without power. Like many others are experiencing, the restoration time continues to change so the city is asking water customers to curb usage and assist in conservation efforts until power has been restored. 

“Once power has been restored, the facility will run at max capacity to replenish what has been used,” said City Administrator Chris Henson, “please do not cause additional water supply issues for the city by unnecessarily pulling from our water storage tanks. We will update our water customers as soon as new information is received.” 

You can assist in those efforts by complying with the following:

• Do not fill bathtubs and buckets with water. There is no need to hoard water at this time. Doing so only contributes to the problem we're trying to avoid.

• If possible, allow for short showers only

• Limit the use of dishwashers and washing machines

• Most importantly, check for and report any leaks to the City immediately by calling Customer Service at 254-729-3293 during normal business hours and 254-645-0255 after hours and weekends.

Electrical woes in the County

Many county residents were without power for hours, others days. 

About 82 power outages affect 1,437 Limestone County customers, Oncor spokesperson Andy Morgan said. The estimated restoration time was unknown. Oncor services about 8,876 customers in the county.

Oncor is the largest energy delivery company in Texas

“We've got everybody available working in addition to another 1,000 utility workers, who came from other companies yesterday and last night. So we're working on these as quickly and safely as possible,” Morgan said. 

Oncor understands it's stressful and frightening not to have power, he said. 

“We're trying to get everybody back to have power and get the lights on, but because of the roads, it's taking us longer than usual to fix these things,” Morgan said. “It's taking us a little longer, but we're getting it done. We'll continue to work through the night and tomorrow until we get them all, or as many as we can.” 

Ice and freezing rain build up on trees, tree branches and power lines, he said. The additional weight causes trees to fall on or lean into the power lines. 

“Either they pull the lines down, or they cause an electrical malfunction because the tree is grounded, and it's hitting this line,” he said. “That's the main cause of the outages at this time.” 

There are going to be power lines on the ground, he said. People mustn’t go near those. 

“Sometimes they get knocked down to the ground. We’d just like to make sure that people know don't go near those. They could still be alive and very dangerous,” he said. “If someone sees a power line on the ground or hanging down where they can reach it, don't touch it. Call 911.” 

Navasota Valley Electric Cooperative released a statement Feb. 2 saying, “Crews are working to restore power as quickly and safely as possible. These outages are due to damage related to ice accumulation and are not related to a statewide grid issue.”

Winter shows no sign of slowing after Pennsylvania's most famous groundhog saw his shadow early Feb. 2.