Ice Storm Knocked Out Power to Over 3,000 Here

Fayette Electric Cooperative (FEC) reported that a series of weather-related outages affected members across the service territory from Friday morning, Jan. 23, through Monday, Jan. 26, at midnight.

Over the four days, FEC crews and contractor crews responded to 35 separate outages, impacting 3,134 meters across the system. Most of these outages were the direct result of damaging winds and ice, which caused tree limbs to break or make contact with power lines.

Trees or tree limbs falling onto lines caused 24 of the 35 outages. Wind gusts combined with freezing moisture resulted in limbs sagging or snapping, creating hazardous conditions and service interruptions.

The outages were spread throughout FEC’s service area, but Fayette County accounted for 32 of the 35 incidents. The largest service interruptions occurred in the following communities:

• Plum: 551 meters affected • Flatonia: 340 meters affected

• Northwest of Schulenburg: 388 meters affected “Crews worked around the clock throughout the weekend to restore power as safely and quickly as possible,” FEC said in a statement issued on Wednesday. “Restoration times varied by location depending on the extent of tree damage, weather conditions, and accessibility of the affected lines.

“FEC expresses its sincere appreciation to members for their patience and to its line workers and support staff for their tireless efforts during difficult weather conditions,” the statement went on to say.”