Power outages: Crews will work 'through the weekend' to restore power, Oncor says
DALLAS - A lot of progress was made Friday to restore power to thousands across North Texas after homes and businesses were left in the dark for days.
At its peak, more than 600,000 Oncor customers lost power after Tuesday morning's strong winds and storms.
As of 9 a.m. on Saturday, that number had dropped to about 46,000 customers statewide, including 32,000 in Dallas County.
Oncor says more than 90% of power is restored, but tens of thousands — especially in Dallas County — are still waiting.
Storms Thursday afternoon and Thursday night slowed crews down. Oncor says 12,000 some from out of state continue to work around the clock to restore outages.
For Diane and Jim Daugherty in Irving, there’s plenty to be emotional about after being left without power since Tuesday.
"I cry a lot," Diane said. "We’ve been camping out here in the dark."
As of Friday, the two still don’t have power, and the effects are piling up. They were forced to throw away nearly $500 worth of spoiled groceries.
The Daughertys are hoping to salvage important and expensive medications in a cooler.
Reyna Pablo and some of her family members stood in front of a tree that took out some of their power lines near Fair Park in Dallas.
"My power went out, and I haven’t had power since then," she said. "It’s like living in an oven. That’s what it feels like."
Patience is wearing thin for those without power.
The Daughertys say heat is only one reason why no power makes it difficult to sleep at night.
"I have sleep apnea really bad, and I can’t use my CPAP machine," Diane said.
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Some in their neighborhood have power. They do not know why they’re some of the unlucky ones.
"It’s either going to happen or it’s not," Diane said.
Earlier this week, the company estimated that most people's power would be restored by Friday evening. Oncor still believes that will be the case.