he number of outages reached 24,500 around 9:15 p.m. on Monday evening; however, that number has declined significantly since then. 
 The number of outages reached 24,500 around 9:15 p.m. on Monday evening; however, that number has declined significantly since then. 
  Thlkakd,kkTththAs of 9 a.m. Wednesday morning, the number of outages in the Abilene area hovered around 430 as AEP Texas crews continue to restore power in the aftermath of the Monday evening thunderstorms.  The number of outages reached 24,500 around 9:15 Monday evening but has declined steadily since then.  Restoration of service for most, if not all customers, is anticipated by late this evening, if not sooner for many customers.   

Service crews worked through the night to repair damaged poles and electrical equipment.  Since Monday, they have replaced or repaired 42 of the approximately 50 distribution poles damaged or broken as a result of the storm and 24 of the 30 damaged or downed transmission poles. 

The number of outages decreased to around 800 at one point Tuesday evening and then increased to around 1,000 early Wednesday morning. “It is not unusual for the number of outages to suddenly increase and decrease during this phase of the outage restoration process,” said Greg Blair, AEP External Affairs manager.   “As our crews complete repairs and re-energize a circuit, the breaker sometimes will reopen due to another issue that needs to be addressed. 

“Our focus now is addressing the small pockets of outages which entail repair or replacing downed lines, replacing utility poles and repairing or replacing damaged electrical equipment,” Blair continued.   “Even with additional crews, this part of the restoration effort is slower than our early focus of replacing fuses, closing breakers or rerouting circuits.”

AEP Texas brought in 140 American Electric Power employees and contractors from surrounding areas to assist the 60 local AEP Texas service techs working to restore power in the Abilene area following the storm.

“Our crews will continue to work throughout today and tonight,” Blair said.  “We encourage customers who have not reported that they are still without power to call 1-866-223-8508 to ensure that AEP Texas is aware of their outage.  We appreciate the patience that has been shown as we continue to do everything possible to restore power safely and as soon as possible."