As of six p.m. on Saturday, the number of outages in the Alpine, Marathon, and surrounding areas had been reduced to approximately 1,660, according to Fred Hernandez, AEP Texas community affairs manager.   That number compares with approximately 5,400 at 1:30 p.m. 

“Approximately 90 service techs and other restoration personnel from other parts of the AEP Texas service territory have arrived and are working to restore power,” Hernandez said.  “These crews are providing support to the 20 local service techs and other restoration personnel who have been working to restore electric service since the winter storm began on Thursday.”

• Earlier in the day, crews were able to restore transmission service to the Alpine substation, reducing the number of outages in the city and surrounding areas to approximately 1,750.   Later, crews were able restore service to 900 customers in Fort Davis.  Two of the four major transmission lines serving Alpine and surrounding areas remain out of service.  Work on those two transmission lines will continue this evening and on Sunday. 
• Restoration activities continue in Marathon and surrounding areas.  Approximately 500 customers remain without power in Marathon and restoration may not be complete until Sunday evening.  At least 20 poles and 40 cross arms will need to be repaired or replaced.   While progress was made on these repairs, a significant amount of work remains to be completed.
• Twenty-two utility poles were broken or damaged in the Sunny Glenn Subdivision near Alpine.  Repair or replacement of the poles will continue this evening; however, restoration activities in the subdivision are expected to extend into Sunday.

Electric customers should call the AEP Texas Customer Solutions Center (866-223-8508) to report downed power lines, power outages and any unsafe conditions.  Consumers are reminded to stay clear of any downed lines and assume they are energized.  Consumers may want to have a copy of their electric bill on hand, which contains their ESI ID number. This will help expedite service if they are transferred to an automated system.

Additional safety tips can be found at www.aeptexas.com.  A "snapshot" view of current outages is available anytime at www.aeptexas.com/outages.

AEP Texas, a unit of American Electric Power, delivers electricity to over a million homes, businesses and industries in south and west Texas. AEP Texas provides regulated energy delivery service to consumers, regardless of which Retail Electric Provider they choose. The region headquarters is in Corpus Christi.