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[Winter Weather News Conference on February 5, 2023.]
RIGHT, WELL, GOOD AFTERNOON EVERYONE.I AM SPENCER K CRO AUSTIN CITY MANAGER, AND I'M JOINED BY JACKIE SERGEANT GENERAL MANAGER OF AUSTIN ELECTRICITY, A LOT, AUSTIN ENERGY, AND ALSO ELTON RICHARDS, VICE PRESIDENT OF FIELD OPERATIONS.
AS YOU CAN SEE, WE ARE HERE AT ONE OF THE RESTORATION SITES FOR AUSTIN ENERGY CRUISE AS THEY CONTINUE TO CONTINUE THEIR HARD WORK TO BRING THE ENTIRE CITY BACK ONLINE OF THIS HISTORIC ICE STORM THAT HAS CRIPPLED OUR CITY.
AUSTIN ENERGY AND OTHER CREWS WHO HAVE COME TO AUSTIN'S HELP MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS OVERNIGHT, RESTORING POWER TO AN ADDITIONAL 34,000 CUSTOMERS.
AND AS OF TODAY, WE'RE ABOUT 92% OF AUSTIN ENERGY CUSTOMERS, UH, NOW HAVE POWER.
I WANT TO THANK THE INCREASING NUMBER OF CREWS FROM OTHER UTILITIES, SOME NEIGHBORING AND SOME FROM FARTHER AWAY, WHO CONTINUE TO ARRIVE AND ASSIST IN THIS MASSIVE EFFORT.
MP TECHNOLOGIES AND TEMPEST ENERGY JOINED THIS WEEKEND, UH, AND THEY JOINED OUR MUTUAL CRUISE FROM NEW BRAUNFELS UTILITIES, CENTERPOINT ENERGY, BIRD ELECTRIC, RENEGADE, CPS, ENERGY, SAN ANTONIO.
IN THESE RESTORATION EFFORTS, MORE THAN 600 WORKERS FROM AUSTIN ENERGY AND THESE OTHER UTILITIES ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK TO RESTORE POWER TO OUR CUSTOMERS.
AS OF TODAY, WE STILL HAVE ABOUT, I'M GONNA, I'M GONNA DESCRIBE A FEW, A LITTLE BIT ON THE OTHER, UH, RELATED, UH, ITEMS, AND THEN, UH, JACKIE AND EL WILL TALK ABOUT THE SPECIFIC EFFORTS FROM AUSTIN ENERGY.
FOR AUSTIN TRANSPORTATION DEPARTMENT, WE HAVE ABOUT 36 TRAFFIC SIGNALS THAT REMAIN, UH, REMAIN DARK.
UH, WE HAVE DIRECTED CITY STAFF TO PLACE TEMPORARY STOP SIGNS AT MANY OF THESE INTERSECTIONS, UH, SO WE COULD PRIORITIZE THOSE IN HIGH TRAFFIC AREAS BY BOTH DRIVERS AND PEDESTRIANS.
WE WANNA REMIND DRIVERS TO PLEASE APPROACH ALL INTERSECTIONS WITH CAUTION, TREAT THE DARK TRAFFIC SIGNALS AS AN ALL STOP, AND AS ALWAYS, WATCH OUT FOR PEDESTRIANS.
WE ARE ALSO SPENDING TODAY TESTING AND RESETTING THE SCHOOL ZONE BEACONS, AND AS SCHOOL RESUMES TOMORROW, PLEASE SAY VIGILANT AND TREAT ALL SCHOOL ZONES AS ACTIVE, WHETHER THE LIGHTS ARE FLASHING OR NOT.
TODAY, WE'VE ALSO HAD, UH, SUPPORT FROM THE TEXAS FOREST SERVICE.
THEY'RE ASSISTING US IN DEBRIS GATHERING AND ENSURING THAT THE RIGHT OF WAY IS CLEAR.
AUSTIN EN AUSTIN RESTORES RECOVERY CREWS ARE CONTINUING TO COLLECT STORM DEBRIS AND WE APPRECIATE FOLKS PATIENCE BECAUSE OF THE AMOUNT OF DEBRIS THAT IS NEEDED TO BE COLLECTED.
I WANT TO THANK THE FOREST SERVICE FOR THEIR, UH, HELP.
UH, THEY'RE GONNA BE FOCUSING ON SOME OF THOSE AREAS WITH SIGNIFICANT TREE CANOPIES AND LARGE OLD GROWTH AND HERITAGE TREES, GIVEN THEIR TECHNICAL EXPERTISE INFORMATION ON STORM DEBRIS COLLECTION AND LOCATIONS FROM THE DEBRIS DROP-OFFS, INCLUDING INFORMATION FOR RESIDENTS WITH PHYSICAL LIMITATIONS OR FINANCIAL NEEDS, UH, REQUIRING ADDITIONAL SUPPORT AS AVAILABLE@AUSTINTEXAS.GOV SLASH STORM DEBRIS.
BEFORE I TURN IT OVER TO JACKIE SERGEANT, I DO WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO TALK ABOUT TREES.
AS YOU KNOW, THE SHEER WEIGHT OF THE ICE ON OUR CITY'S TREES LED TO FALLING BRANCHES AND TOPPLED ENTIRE TREES, WHICH IS THE MAIN CAUSE OF THE POWER OUTAGES WE EXPERIENCE.
IT'S IMPORTANT TO KNOW THAT OUR TREES ARE STILL VULNERABLE AFTER THE WINTER STORM AND HAVE, THEY MAY HAVE BROKEN LIMBS THAT ARE HIGH UP IN THE BRANCHES THAT YOU CANNOT SEE WITH STRONG WINDS ANTICIPATED IN THE FORECAST AS EARLY AS TUESDAY.
ADDITIONAL TREE LIMBS MAY FALL CAUSING PER, UH, IN CREATING POTENTIALLY FURTHER DAMAGE.
WE WANT TO REMIND RESIDENTS TO BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS WHEN WALKING AROUND.
AVOID PARKING UNDER TREES, AND PLEASE DO NOT LEAVE PETS OR CHILDREN UNSUPERVISED UNDER TREES.
AGAIN, I WANT TO ADD THAT I'M GLAD WE'RE MAKING PROGRESS.
I KNOW THE FRUSTRATION OF OUR CUSTOMERS, OF OUR RESIDENTS, AND WE ARE, UH, DOING THIS AROUND THE CLOCK SO WE CAN RESTORE POWER TO ALL OF OUR, UH, RESIDENTS.
I WANT TO THANK THE INCREDIBLE WORK OF OUR CREWS, OUR CITY STAFF, AND OUR COMMUNITY FOR COMING TOGETHER TO ENSURE THAT WE ARE GETTING OUT OF THIS EVENT STRONGER THAN BEFORE.
I'LL NOW TURN IT OVER TO JACKIE.
I'M JACKIE SERGEANT AUSTIN, ENERGY GENERAL MANAGER.
AS SPENCER SAID, OUR UTILITY CREWS HAVE MADE SIGNIFICANT PROGRESS SINCE YESTERDAY, AND MORE THAN 92% OF OUR CUSTOMERS NOW HAVE POWER.
HOWEVER, FOR THOSE OF YOU STILL WITHOUT POWER, MY HEART GOES OUT TO YOU, AND I'M SORRY FOR HOW LONG THIS IS TAKING.
OUR RESTORATIONS WILL CONTINUE UNTIL EVERY CUSTOMER, EVERY SINGLE CUSTOMER IS BACK ONLINE.
I WANT YOU TO KNOW THAT WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN YOU.
OUR RESTORATION EFFORTS ARE ONGOING, AND AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME, THE WORK THAT'S BEING DONE, WHILE THE WEATHER MAY BE GREAT OUTSIDE TODAY, BEAUTIFUL SUN AND BLUE SKIES, WE'RE STILL DEALING WITH HURRICANE LEVEL
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DEVASTATION.IN SPEAKING WITH THE CHAIR OF THE PUBLIC UTILITY COMMISSION OF TEXAS YESTERDAY, PETER LAKE, HE LIKENED IT TO AN ICE HURRICANE.
FROM THE TIME I SPOKE TO YOU YESTERDAY.
WE RESTORED POWER TO APPROXIMATELY 42,000 ADDITIONAL CUSTOMERS AND HAVE COMPLETED OVER 308,000 RESTORATIONS SINCE THIS, SINCE THE BEGINNING OF THIS HISTORIC ICE EVENT.
CURRENTLY, THERE ARE OVER 1500 OUTAGES AFFECTING 38,800 CUSTOMERS.
I REALLY WISH THAT WE COULD GIVE YOU AN ESTIMATED TIME OF RESTORATION.
THIS IS FRUSTRATING FOR EVERYONE.
WE KNOW THAT IT'S DIFFICULT FOR CUSTOMERS TO PLAN WITHOUT INFORMATION.
UNFORTUNATELY, THE COMPLEXITY AND SECURITY OF ICE STORM DAMAGE JUST HASN'T ALLOWED THAT.
THE EXTENT OF THE STORM DAMAGE HAS LED TO BOTH LOCAL AND STATE DISASTER DECLARATIONS.
THE BIGGEST OUTAGES HAVE BEEN RESTORED.
THOSE ARE WHERE THE ICE AND VEGETATION DAMAGED WHOLE OR ENTIRE CIRCUITS.
WE ARE NOW FOCUSING ON THE MOST COMPLICATED RESTORATION EFFORTS.
THE SMALLER OUTAGES WITH UNIQUE DAMAGE LIKE YOU CAN SEE BEHIND MEAT AND THE PACE OF RESTORATION IS SLOW AND STEADY.
THE WEATHER COULD ALSO COMPLICATE OUR EFFORTS AS EARLY AS TUESDAY FORECAST, CALL FOR RAIN THUNDERSTORMS AND WIND GUSTS, AND THEY'RE EXPECTED TO REACH UP TO 35 MILES PER HOUR.
THE TREES ARE COMPROMISED AND HIGH WINDS COULD POSE NEW ISSUES.
THIS IS ANOTHER REASON WHY IT'S REMAINS DIFFICULT TO PROVIDE ESTIMATED RESTORATION TIMES, BUT THAT DOESN'T MEAN WE HAVE STOPPED, WE HAVE NOT FORGOTTEN ABOUT YOU, AUSTIN ENERGY TEENS ARE STILL ASSESSING THE DAMAGE AND BY LATER TODAY, WE ANTICIPATE BEING ABLE TO PROVIDE THE PUBLIC WITH AN APPROXIMATE TIME WHEN THE BULK OF THE RESTORATIONS WILL BE COMPLETE.
WE KNOW CUSTOMERS STILL WITHOUT POWER ARE TRYING TO MAKE PLANS.
WE CAN'T SAY WHAT'S BEST FOR EACH SITUATION, AND THERE'S NO BLANKET STATEMENT THAT I CAN MAKE THAT WILL APPLY TO EVERY INDIVIDUAL OUTAGE.
WE ARE CONTINUING TO WELCOME THE CREWS, UH, FOR MUTUAL AID, THE ONES THAT SPENCER MENTIONED, AND I JUST WANNA REITERATE OUR APPRECIATION FOR THE SUPPORT AND ALSO FOR THE SUPPORT OF ALL THE FOLKS THAT ARE BEHIND THE SCENES, THE PEOPLE THAT YOU DON'T SEE THAT ARE SUPPORTING THESE EFFORTS WITH THE INCOMING WEATHER.
PLEASE REMEMBER POWER LINE SAFETY.
DON'T GO NEAR ANY DOWN POWER LINES.
ASSUME THAT ALL DOWN LINES ARE ENERGIZED, AND PLEASE CALL 5 1 2 3 2 2 9 1 0 0 TO REPORT A DOWN LINE.
AND IF THOSE LINES ARE SPARKING, PLEASE CALL 9 1 1.
THANK YOU FOR COMING OUT TODAY, UM, SO THAT YOU CAN SEE OUR RESTORATION EFFORT AND I'D LIKE TO TURN IT OVER TO ELTON RICHARDS TO TALK ABOUT, UH, WHAT THE CREWS BEHIND US ARE ACTUALLY DOING.
WHAT'S UP GUYS? HEY, THANKS FOR COMING OUT ON SUNDAY.
I'M SURE YOU HAD SOMETHING BETTER TO DO.
UH, JUST, UH, HAVE TO DISCLOSE.
MY WIFE GAVE ME FEEDBACK WHEN I'M STANDING BACK THERE.
SHE LOOKS LIKE I'M MAD AT SOMEBODY.
I'M NOT JUST 20 YEARS IN THE MILITARY JUST STANDING THERE.
SO THAT'S WHAT I LOOK LIKE WHEN I'M NOT ACTUALLY TALKING.
UH, BEFORE I GET STARTED, I, I, I THANK THE CREWS AND THE, AND THE OTHER PEOPLE WORKING, BUT I WOULD BE REMISS IF I DIDN'T SAY THANKS TO THE FAMILIES.
UH, THE, THE LOVED ONES, THE SPOUSES TO FRIENDS THAT ARE SUPPORTING ALL THE WORKERS THAT ARE DOING THESE RESTORATION AND NOT JUST FOR AUSTIN ENERGY.
THAT'S EVERYBODY IN THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
SO FOR THOSE FAMILY MEMBERS, LOVED ONES AND SPOUSES, THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING THESE GUYS.
UH, IT IS JUST, IT IS WHAT KEEPS THEM GOING DAY IN AND DAY OUT.
SO WHAT WE GOT BEHIND US IS WE'RE CHANGING OUT A POLE.
AND THE IMPORTANT PART OF THIS ONE, AND THE REASON I WANTED TO BRING YOU OUT HERE IS THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WAS TALKING ABOUT.
THIS POLE WAS NOT DAMAGED BECAUSE OF VEGETATION COMING INTO OUR POWER LINES.
THIS WAS DAMAGED WITH A TREE COMING DOWN ON THE COMMS LINES.
AND I'D STATED THAT BEFORE THOSE COMMS LINES ARE SECURED SO WELL THAT IT ACTUALLY PULLED THIS POLE OVER THE CREW.
ADAPTABILITY IS ONE OF THE BEST THINGS THAT WE'VE GOT FOR THE CITY OF AUSTIN.
THE JOB TO COME OUT HERE THIS MORNING WAS TO STRAIGHTENED THE POLE.
THAT'S WHAT WOULD NORMALLY HAPPEN.
THEY'D STRAIGHTEN IT BACK UP, TAMP THE DIRT AROUND IT, SECURE IT WITH A G WIRE AND MOVE ON.
BUT AS JACKIE STATED A COUPLE TIMES TALKING ABOUT THE COMPLEXITY, WHEN THEY GOT OUT HERE, WHAT THEY FOUND IT TO BASE THE POLE WAS IT WAS CRACKED AND SNAPPED.
SO THE INTEGRITY OF IT WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN SAFE TO LEAVE.
SO THEY READJUSTED GOT ANOTHER CREW OUT HERE, AND THEY'LL BE OUT HERE ALL DAY JUST TO REPLACE THIS POLE AND TRANSFER ALL OF OUR EQUIPMENT ON IT.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE SAY, IF YOU'D HAVE ASKED ME THIS MORNING, I'VE SAID THEY'VE BEEN OUT HERE TWO HOURS, THEY'RE JUST GONNA GO STRAIGHT IN THE POLE, SET A GUIDEWIRE IN FIVE GUYS AND THEY'RE GONNA ROLL OUT.
THEY GET HERE, THEY SEE WHAT THEY GOT, AND IT TURNS INTO ALL DAY JOB AND WE HAVE TO ADD ANOTHER CREW ON.
I WENT OUT THIS MORNING WITH STUART RILEY, THE INTERIM CEO, TO A
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JOB SITE UP IN BEES CAVE, AND THAT IS FOREST.THESE GUY'S ON THE NEWS THE OTHER DAY, HE HATES BEING INTERVIEWED, BUT HE'S A GOOD GUY.
UH, HIS CREW OUT THERE HAD, UH, I'VE TALKED ABOUT BEFORE ABOUT THAT POWER STRIPS NOW ENERGIZED.
NOW WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE EXTENSION CORDS THAT ARE PLUGGED INTO IT.
WELL, HE WAS ON ONE OF THOSE EXTENSION COURTS.
THERE WAS ONLY 30 PEOPLE TO 50 PEOPLE ON THIS LINE THAT FED INTO THE VALLEY, BUT IT TOOK THEM FOUR HOURS BECAUSE THERE WAS BLOWN FUSES, CRACK, CROSS ARM AND A TRANSFORMER DOWN.
SO THAT, THAT'S WHAT THEY'RE DEALING WITH OUT THERE ON THIS.
AS JACKIE STATED, WHEN I LEFT OUT LAST NIGHT AT ABOUT 2200 AT THE COMMAND CENTER, THE CHALLENGE WAS TODAY WITH THE WORK THAT WE'RE DOING, WE OWE IT TO THE CUSTOMERS OF AUSTIN ENERGY TO COME UP WITH AN ESTIMATED TIME OF RESTORATION.
SO THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO TODAY.
AND WHAT WE'RE GONNA DO IS WE'RE TAKING THE CIRCUITS THAT WE'RE ASSIGNING WITH THOSE EXTENSION CORDS, SO TO SPEAK, AND THEN WE'RE GONNA TAKE THE AVERAGE OF THOSE WITH WHAT WE'VE GOT LEFT AND WE SHOULD COME UP WITH SOMETHING BECAUSE THEY'RE ALL ABOUT THE SAME.
AS I'VE STATED BEFORE, EARLIER, THIS WAS NOT, IT WAS NOT A, IT WAS A NON-DISCRIMINATORY STORM.
IT HIT EVERYWHERE IN THE CITY AND EVERYWHERE GOT HIT JUST AS HARD.
SO THE GUYS ARE, ARE POUNDING THE GROUND AND AS I ALWAYS SAY, UH, THEY'RE WORKING JUST AS HARD AS THESE GUYS ARE BACK HERE WORKING SAFELY AND THEY'RE WORKING FOR THE CUSTOMERS OF AUSTIN ENERGY.
AS JACKIE STATED, YOU KNOW, YOU LOOK OUT HERE AND YOU SAY, MY GOD, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL DAY.
YOU KNOW, WE OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO GET A LOT DONE.
THE SUNLIGHT'S NOT HURTING US.
IT'S ALREADY OUT THERE BROKE, SO IT DIDN'T MATTER WHAT WAS RAINING TODAY OR IT'S SUN SHINING TODAY.
SO THE GUYS WILL CONTINUE 24 7 AND WE'LL CONTINUE TILL THE LAST PERSON CUTS THE LIGHT SWITCH ON.
NOW, WE MENTIONED IT BEFORE AND I WANNA MENTION IT AGAIN BECAUSE IT'S EXTREMELY IMPORTANT WHEN JACKIE SHOWED THAT PICTURE AND THAT IS UP ON OUR WEBSITE ABOUT WHAT THE HOMEOWNER'S RESPONSIBILITY IS.
IF YOU SEE ANY OF THAT AT YOUR HOUSE, SECURE AN ELECTRICIAN AND GET YOUR PART DONE.
THAT WAY WHEN WE COME OUT, WE CAN RESTORE YOU.
CAUSE IF NOT, WE'RE GONNA HAVE TO MAKE IT SAFE.
LEAVE A DOOR, HAG HANGER AND THEN WE'RE GONNA DRIVE OFF.
SO PLEASE BE PROACTIVE FOR YOURSELF.
GET THE ELECTRIC QUALIFIED ELECTRICIAN IN, GET YOUR REPAIRS DONE IF POSSIBLE, AND THEN WE'LL RESTORE YOU.
SO APPRECIATE YOU GUYS AS ALWAYS, AND Y'ALL HAVE A GOOD DAY.
IF, IF THIS STORM, IF WE WERE IN BLUE SKY DAYS NOW WITH ZERO OUTAGES, WE WOULD DO ENHANCED STAFFING.
WE WOULD DO A EXECUTIVE CALL AND WE'D PREP THE INCIDENT COMMAND.
MA'AM, WE'RE FULL BLOWN WAR RIGHT NOW, OKAY? THEY
WE'RE ON ROTATING 12 HOUR SHIFTS WITH EVERYBODY.
WE JUST WANT YOU GUYS TO KNOW THAT IT COULD POTENTIALLY ADD TO WHAT WE'VE GOT AND NOT ONLY JUST WITH THE STORM FOR THE ELECTRICAL SIDE GUYS.
UH, ON WEDNESDAY MORNING AND THURSDAY WHEN I WAS OUT, YOU KNOW, I WAS HAVING TO MAKE SURE MY GUYS, WE ALWAYS WEAR HARD HATS, BUT EVEN OUTSIDE OF THE WORK ZONE, BECAUSE THOSE LIMBS WERE FALLING, ICE WAS COMING OFF OF THE WIRE.
NOW WE DON'T HAVE TO WORRY ABOUT THAT ANYMORE, BUT AS SPENCER BROUGHT UP THOSE TREES LACK INTEGRITY RIGHT NOW.
SO IF IT RAINS, PLEASE AVOID 'EM.
I'LL GIVE A A KIND OF A FUNNY STORY.
THE CREW GOES OUT AND THE HOMEOWNER COMES OUT, HE SAYS, HEY, YOU KNOW, MEET ME UNDER CARPORT AND WE'LL TALK ABOUT IT.
AND THEY SAID, NO, WE'RE GOOD RIGHT HERE.
WELL, THE LADY GOT HIT WITH A HEAD IN THE HEAD WITH A PIECE OF ICE AND SHE GOES, WE'LL BE UNDER THE CARPORT.
SO BE AWARE OF YOUR SURROUNDINGS BECAUSE THE TREES ARE FRAGILE RIGHT NOW.
SO TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF AND YOUR FAMILY, PLEASE.
THIS EVENT BEING SAID, WHY MASSIVE GUARD MOBILIZING? WELL, THINK OF IT AS, AS A CLASSROOM, MA'AM.
THERE'S ONLY SO MANY PEOPLE THAT CAN FIT IN THERE.
OUR NUMBER ONE CONCERN IS THE SAFETY OF PEOPLE.
THIS COULD BE ENERGIZED IF SOMEBODY WASN'T PAYING ATTENTION.
SO WE'VE GOT A CONTROL CENTER THAT'S A 24 HOUR OPERATION THAT SEES THE WHOLE GRID OF AUSTIN ENERGY.
ANYBODY THAT WE BRING IN THAT DOES NOT BELONG TO AUSTIN ENERGY, WE PUT A FEEDER SPOCK ON WITH THEM, OR WHAT WE CALL A BIRD DOG.
AND WHAT THEY DO, OR THEY SECURE THE SAFETY OF THAT CREW, THEY HOLD ALL THE OUTAGES FOR THAT INDIVIDUAL.
SO WE, THIS IS, I'VE GOT A GUY THAT WORKED FOR ME FOR 30 YEARS AND HE'S NEVER SEEN US BRING IN MUTUAL AID LIKE THIS.
AS I SAID IN THE OTHER PRESS CONFERENCE, EVEN DURING STORM URI, ALL WE BROUGHT IN WAS VEGETATION MANAGEMENT.
SO THIS IS A LEARNING CURVE FOR US, AND, AND WE THOUGHT WE WERE MAXED OUT AT ABOUT 200.
WE SAT DOWN, WE PUT OUR BRANCH TOGETHER, WE SAID, HOW CAN WE THINK OUTSIDE THE BOX AND GET MORE PEOPLE TO DIVIDE THAT OVERSIGHT? AND NOW WE'RE UP TO OVER A HUNDRED, 450.
SO I, I WOULD SAY AS FAR AS BODIES ON THE SYSTEM, OUR CAPACITY TO SAFELY CONTROL 'EM AND PROVIDE OVERSIGHT, WE'RE THERE.
SO, SO WE'LL GET IT, IT, WE'LL, WE'LL KNOCK IT OUTTA PARK.
WE JUST, WE JUST GIVE US, GIVE US A COUPLE OF DAYS AND, AND WE'LL GET THERE.
YESTERDAY WAS A GREAT DAY AND I THINK WE'LL SEE A COUPLE MORE.
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ABOUT CUSTOMERS WITHOUT POWER? WELL, THERE'S NO A THOUSAND PERCENT ACCURATE AND I, I WOULDN'T EVEN BET MONEY ON A HUNDRED PERCENT ACCURATE.CAUSE IT, IT'S ALL ABOUT A SYSTEM.
YOU KNOW, JACKIE GAVE GOOD ANSWER, UH, YESTERDAY, BUT I'LL TRY TO BREAK IT DOWN IN, IN ELTON'S TERMS BECAUSE I'M, I'M NOT AS SMART AS SHE IS.
UH, WHEN SHE TALKED ABOUT A NESTED OUTAGE, LET'S SAY ALL OF YOU GUYS HAVE IT OUTAGE AND IT'S UNDER CIRCUIT 1, 2 34.
OKAY? ALL OF YOU SHOW UP UNDER THERE.
BUT WHAT HAPPENS IS WHEN WE RESTORE CIRCUIT 1, 2 34, THE SYSTEM RECOGNIZES IT AS CLEARING ALL THOSE OUTAGES.
AND THEN WHEN IT STARTS PINGING THE METERS, WHEN WE START TALKING ABOUT THE SMART METERS, THAT'S WHEN WE START IDENTIFYING THE INDIVIDUAL OUTAGES.
SO THAT'S HOW YOU COULD HAVE AN OUTAGE THAT THE SYSTEM DOESN'T KNOW ABOUT IT BECAUSE IT HASN'T PINGED YOU YET, AND IT CLEARED IT BECAUSE IT THINKS THAT IT'S DONE.
AND THAT IS ONE OF THE THINGS THAT JACKIE TALKED ABOUT.
WE'RE GONNA TRY TO GET IMPROVEMENT ON THE INTELLIGENCE OF THAT SYSTEM SO IT JUST DOESN'T AUTOMATICALLY ASSUME EVERYBODY UNDER THAT OUTAGE WAS RESTORED, BUT ACTUALLY POTENTIALLY PINGS EACH AND EVERY METER.
I WILL SAY THE, THE OUTAGE MAP, I WOULD SAY IF I'M BALL PARKING AND I'M NOT ISTIC GUY, I'D SAY IT'S, IT'S 90, 95% ACCURATE.
BUT AGAIN, IF YOU DON'T SEE YOUR STUFF ON THERE, CALL IT IN.
IT DOESN'T HURT OUR FEELINGS TO HAVE A DUPLICATE OUTAGE.
IF YOUR POWER IS OUT, YOU DON'T SEE IT ON THE OUTAGE MAP, TEXT THAT, THAT THING O U T AS JACKIE SAID YESTERDAY, AND LET'S GET IT JUST TO MAKE SURE BETTER SAFE THAN SORRY.
I'M SORRY MA'AM, I CAN'T HEAR YOU.
I DON'T THINK I SAID LEARNING CURVE.
I, I, I THINK WE HAVE LEARNING OPPORTUNITIES AS WE MOVE INTO IT BECAUSE OF THE MUTUAL AID.
UH, TO ME THAT WAS THE ONLY THING THAT WE HAVE LEARNING ON OUR, OUR GUYS AS FAR AS BEING ON THE HANDS, STAFFING, PERFORMING THE WORK, THE OVERSIGHT, CLOSING THE OUTAGES OUT.
THESE GUYS ARE WORLD-CLASS PROFESSIONALS.
I'VE SAID IT BEFORE AND I'LL SAY IT AGAIN, I'LL PUT MY GUYS UP AGAINST ANYBODY IN THE WORLD AS FAR AS BEING AN ELECTRICIAN.
SO THE THINGS THAT WE DO NEED TO LEARN ABOUT IS NOW HOW DO WE FLEX ON THAT MUTUAL AID, UH, YOU KNOW, HOW DO WE PROVIDE THE OVERSIGHT FASTER OUT OF THE BOX ON THAT ONE? SO, SO THAT'S WHAT I'D SAY WOULD BE AN OPPORTUNITY.
I THINK THAT THERE ARE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY THAT ARE GOING TO HELP SUPPORT, UM, COMMUNITY OR COMMUNITY EFFORTS.
UM, TODAY WAS AN EXAMPLE, UM, AT A CHURCH.
THERE WAS AN EVENT, UH, THAT HOSTED AND PROVIDED FOOD AND OTHER THINGS.
WE'VE, UH, SECURED A MOBILE CHARGING, UH, STATION FROM CPS ENERGY AND WE DEPLOYED THAT OUT THERE SO THAT PEOPLE COULD COME AND CHARGE THEIR PHONES.
AND SO WE'RE GONNA PLAN THOSE THROUGHOUT THE WEEK JUST SO THAT WE CAN BE PREPARED.
SO LIKE WE TALKED ABOUT EARLIER, WE DON'T HAVE THAT BULK, YOU KNOW, APPROXIMATE RESTORATION FOR THE MAJORITY OF CUSTOMERS YET, BUT WE'RE WORKING ON THAT AND JUST TO BE SAFE AND EVEN SO, UM, WE JUST WANNA BE OUT IN THE COMMUNITY SO THAT WE CAN OFFER SUPPORT TO THEM AND HAVE A, HAVE A WAYS AND A MEANS TO DO THAT.
UM, WE, WE REALLY CARE ABOUT OUR CUSTOMERS AND, AND THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY.
SO THAT'S WHY IT'S REALLY IMPORTANT THAT THE CITY AND THE COUNTY AND NOW THE STATE HAVE MADE DISASTER DECLARATIONS.
SO THAT MEANS THAT THERE WILL BE REIMBURSEMENT OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH FEMA AND OTHER RESOURCES.
SO WE ARE GRATEFUL FOR THE GOVERNOR, UH, IN MAKING THAT DECLARATION AS OUR OTHER UTILITIES IN THE STATE.
UM, BECAUSE BRINGING IN ALL THESE CREWS AND EVERYTHING AND SETTING UP AND PROVIDING FOR LODGING AND ALL THE LOGISTICS THAT GO AROUND THAT, IT IS EXPENSIVE, BUT WE'RE GONNA GET SUPPORT.
AND THAT'S WHY AT THE START OF THIS EVENT, EVEN BEFORE IT STARTED, WE SET UP INCIDENT COMMAND AND WE HAVE A STRUCTURE AND WE HAVE ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS AND EVERYBODY IS USING THOSE ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS TO, UH, RECORD EXPENSES AND TIME AND ALL OF THAT SO THAT WE ARE ABLE TO SUBMIT THOSE THINGS, UH, FOR REIMBURSEMENT.
SO THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
WHAT ABOUT, WHAT ABOUT CUSTOMERS? UH, SO THEY WOULDN'T NECESSARILY RECEIVE ANYTHING FROM THE ELECTRIC UTILITY BECAUSE THIS WAS A NATURAL DISASTER AND IT WAS CAUSED BY THE ICE EVENT THAT WE HAD, BUT MAYBE SPENCER CAN SPEAK TO WHAT OTHER THINGS THE COMMUNITY, OUR CITIZENS CAN EXPECT TO RECEIVE AS A RESULT OF THESE DISASTER DECLARATIONS.
WE'LL CONTINUE TO EXPLORE ALL POSSIBLE OPTIONS JUST AS WE DID WITH WINTER STORM URI
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ABOUT WAIVING SPECIFIC FEES OR PROVIDING SOME ADDITIONAL ASSISTANCE.UM, BUT THAT WILL COME OVER THE COURSE OF TIME AS WE DO THE ASSESSMENT OF BOTH HOW MUCH THIS COSTS AND HOW WHAT WE CAN PROVIDE TO OUR CITIZENS.
SO FORTUNATELY WE MANAGE SUPPLY CHAIN AND WE HAVE, UH, WAREHOUSES AND UH, THINGS.
SO THE THINGS THAT WE'RE SEEING, UM, AREN'T HUGE.
LIKE YOU, YOU CAN SEE BEHIND US WHERE THEY'RE THIS EQUIPMENT AND STUFF, SO WE, WE JUST NEED THE ONE POLE AND CROSS ARM, RIGHT? SO WE'RE NOT SEEING THAT WE HAVE TO REPLACE A LOT OF DAMAGED EQUIPMENT AND THAT'S FORTUNATE.
LIKE WE, WE DON'T HAVE A LOT OF TRANSFORMERS AND WE HAVE TRANSFORMERS IN STOCK.
UM, SO ALL OF THOSE THINGS, UH, WE WE'RE PRETTY, WE'RE FAIRLY WELL SUPPLIED AND WE'RE, WE'RE NOT, WE'RE NOT IN THE POSITION RIGHT NOW WHERE WE'RE IDENTIFYING ANY SHORTAGES AT THIS TIME.
ANY OTHER QUESTIONS? AGAIN, WE APPRECIATE EVERYONE'S PATIENCE AND I KNOW THAT THERE ARE FRUSTRATIONS OF THOSE THAT STILL DO NOT HAVE POWER, BUT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN.
THESE CREWS ARE WORKING AROUND THE CLOCK AND WE REALLY THANK THE EXPERTISE AND KEEPING THEM SAFE.
UH, SO AGAIN, REALLY, UH, KNOW THAT WE ARE DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO GET THROUGH THIS VERY CHALLENGING TIME FOR OUR CITY.