Floods to slow power restoration for those in dark

The next two weeks will be a waiting game for about 1,200 people who are without power because of high water on the Arkansas River.

Utility companies cannot return power to de-energized lines until the water recedes, and even then damage to a residence may need repair before power can be restored.

"In the electricity business, we're totally reliant on the weather," said Rob Roedel, director of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas. "We're always prepared for the worst, and we're waiting for Mother Nature to get through so we can go repair what was damaged."

The Arkansas River began rising last week after torrential storms left northeast Oklahoma drenched. When the Arkansas River's flood-reduction lakes in Oklahoma filled past their capacity, water had to be released, according to Army Corps of Engineers spokesman Laurie Driver.

The rush of water -- combined with continuing rain in northeast Oklahoma and Northwest Arkansas -- raised a historic flood that is expected to break nearly every record crest in its path.

The Arkansas River continued to rise in most places Thursday, and the National Weather Service predicts it will exceed historic levels in six of the eight waypoints along its route, including Van Buren, Ozark, Dardanelle, Morrilton, Toad Suck and Pendleton.

Power companies along the Arkansas River said Thursday that power had been cut to many residential areas pre-emptively when rising waters threatened equipment or people. Roedel said Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas has de-energized lines to about 700 people after flooding.

"In most cases, it's a flooding issue where homeowners have been evacuated," Roedel said. "There are certain flood-prone areas, so when the flooding alerts were issued we knew we'd need to de-energize the lines. ... It's actually extended over flood-prone areas now."

Entergy also has cut power to about 170 customers on a pre-emptive basis, spokesman David Lewis said Thursday. Some of those lines were turned off at the request of industrial customers, he said. Others were turned off as water approached buildings.

"We look at the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers flood maps and know it's coming and proactively disconnect service, knowing it'll be under water," Lewis said. "We expect probably about 300-500 will be affected before this event is over."

Lewis said many residents have called to ask whether their power will be shut off. He said any customer whose power is shut off will get a call beforehand.

"We try to wait as long as possible before we de-energize a line," Lewis said. "We will disconnect when our equipment is going under water or is under water, or when access is cut off."

Kathleen O'Shea, spokesman for Oklahoma Gas and Electric, which provides power to portions of Northwest Arkansas surrounding Fort Smith, said Oklahoma has dealt with this issue for more than two weeks.

"We've had storms since May 18," O'Shea said.

Northeast Oklahoma has seen tornadoes, thunderstorms and floods in the past month.

"We've brought in additional crews and contractors to assist in the restoration, and we're finally cleaning up in some areas in Oklahoma," O'Shea said. "If we had outages that we can get to, we will be attempting to restore those customers as soon as we can safely. But if it's in a flooded area where we can't get in, we just have to wait for the water to recede."

Some 380 people in the Fort Smith area were without power Thursday evening, according to the company's map.

"In a normal situation, we would be posting estimated times of restoration, but we've shut those all down," O'Shea said. "We don't know when, but we are monitoring all of our substations and we'll try to keep everyone informed."

North Little Rock Electric Department spokesman Jill Ponder said water hasn't risen high enough for any electricity to be cut in any residential areas, although power to the maritime museum, downtown RV park and the soccer fields at Burns Park has been shut off.

"I don't think we're at this point yet, but if a customer experiences flooding and is leaving their home, we need them to turn off [the] main breakers," Ponder said. "People have called and asked, and that's what they need to do."

Ponder said all equipment from the deck on the department's hydroelectric plant on the Arkansas River has been moved.

"[The deck is] going to be about 10 feet under water by the end of this," she said. "We just had to take some precautions."

Two of the Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas' 17 electric distribution centers and one gas generating station near Ozark have been affected by the flooding, too, Roedel said.

The Colonel S. Whillock Hydroelectric Generating Station near Morrilton and the Clyde T. Ellis Hydroelectric Generating Station near Barling are under water, Roedel said.

"They're actually built to withstand that situation," he said. "Not generating, of course, but they're functioning."

The Thomas B. Fitzhugh Generating Station near Ozark also has been shut down.

Despite the affected plants, Roedel said the cooperative has "adequate capacity to meet the power needs of our 1.2 million customers throughout the state."

Once the floodwaters recede, the electric companies must verify if power can go back to the residence's infrastructure.

"A homeowner, part of their responsibility is to ensure anything on the residential side of the meter is functional," Roedel said. "That's just part of it."

Entergy workers used fan boats Wednesday to conduct a "preliminary run" near Two Rivers Park in Little Rock. Lewis said the vessels will make it easier for the company to inspect damage and plan for repairs early.

Lewis said no Entergy substations were at risk of flooding as of Thursday evening.

Metro on 05/31/2019

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