Sam Houston Electric Cooperative keeps a close eye on potentially threatening weather year-round. Storm Central is your place for information, resources and helpful tips to be prepared for unexpected outages.

08.25.11 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM UPDATE 4 P.M.
As of 4 p.m., nearly all power has been restored to Sam Houston EC members. A handful of outages remain primarily in the greater Livingston area.

08.25.11 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM UPDATE 2 P.M.
As of 2 p.m., approximately 1,000 Sam Houston Electric Cooperative members remain without power.

08.25.11 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM UPDATE 10 A.M.
As of 10 a.m., approximately 1,500 Sam Houston Electric Cooperative members remain without power. The majority of these outages are in the greater Livingston area.

08.25.11 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM UPDATE 9 A.M.
As of 9 a.m., approximately 2,500 Sam Houston Electric Cooperative members remain without power. Most outages are isolated in the greater Livingston area. Less than 1,000 remain in the Co-op’s Coldspring and Woodville service areas.

Yesterday evening’s severe thunderstorms produced lightning and high winds causing trees and limbs to fall on power lines.  Crews are continuing to work repairing line breaks.

08.25.11 SEVERE THUNDERSTORM UPDATE 8 A.M.
The severe thunderstorm that rolled through Sam Houston EC's service area late Wednesday afternoon resulted in outages affecting 10,000 consumers. The outages were scattered from Huntington all the way down to Liberty and Dayton and all points in between. Many trees and limbs fell on power lines, causing significant damage.

As of 8 a.m., power has been restored to more than 7,000 affected consumers. Sam Houston EC crews worked throughout the night, along with additional contract crews who were called in to assist in restoring power. Work will continue throughout the morning to restore power as quickly and safely as possible to all members. Additional updates will be provided as they are available.



02.04.11 WINTER STORM UPDATE
Extra personnel staffed Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s call center, and line crews were on standby Thursday night. However, Co-op members were spared the effects of snow and ice. Today, normal operations are underway, and crews and call center staff remain ready to respond in case weather-related outages occur.

02.03.11 WINTER STORM WARNING
The National Weather Service has issued a winter storm warning for all of southeast Texas from noon today to noon Friday (02.04.11).

In light of current advisories, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative has taken proper precautions should its service territory experience outages due to winter weather conditions. Sam Houston EC crews are equipped to work in such conditions safely and efficiently. Proper safety measures and preparations have been made to respond to unfavorable weather.

"We maintain a constant state of readiness, in order to safely and quickly respond to any outage situation," said Keith Stapleton, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative chief communications officer. "When storms approach, our emergency response plan is ramped up to accommodate a large scale restoration effort if the need arises.”

The Cooperative is staffed 24 hours a day to receive calls and respond to power outages. Our members now have a dedicated toll-free phone number to report power outages. It’s simple and fast. To report an outage, give us a call at 888-444-1207.

[PHOTO] Courtesy Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives

SAM HOUSTON EC URGES SAFE GENERATOR USE
In the wake of storm season, people should exercise extreme caution when operating portable generators, warns Sam Houston Electric Cooperative.

“These generators are useful when temporary or remote electric power is needed, but they also can be hazardous,” said Keith Stapleton, Sam Houston Electric Cooperative’s Chief Communications Officer.

02.02.11 POWER RESTORED AFTER WINTER STORMS
Crews have been busy restoring power due to weather-related outages. The majority of outages occured following winter storms Monday night, with a few new outages occuring Wednesday morning. Service has been restored system wide.

Sam Houston Electric Cooperative has not experienced any rolling blackouts or issues with power supply.

02.02.11 WINTER STORMS HIT EAST TEXAS
Strong winter storms swept through East Texas Monday night, leaving more than 22,000 Sam Houston Electric Cooperative members without power. Crews worked throughout the day and evening to restore power to everyone by midnight.

As of Wednesday morning (02.02.11), crews are now working to restore power to approximately 2,500 members with new reported outages.

Due to increased demand for power, news outlets have reported a call for rolling blackouts across the Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) region of Texas. The vast majority of Sam Houston EC’s service territory, however, is not in ERCOT.

We do not expect any issues with power supply today. Over the past two years, Sam Houston EC, along with East Texas Electric Cooperative, has added significant generation facilities that are more than adequate to supply our members’ demand for power today.

At Sam Houston Electric Cooperative, we’re always working to keep your lights on. And when power is interrupted, our goal is to restore service as quickly and safely as possible. Our members now have a dedicated toll-free phone number to report power outages. It’s simple and fast. To report an outage, give us a call at 888-444-1207.