Power outages: More than 370,000 without power, could last multiple days
Hundreds of thousands of people are without power after strong storms blew through North Texas Tuesday morning.
As of 10 p.m., Oncor says about 370,000 customers are dealing with power outages. That's down from more than 650,000 earlier in the day.
Estimated Outages by County as of 10 p.m.
Dallas - 248,000
Collin - 29,300
Denton - 14,300
Tarrant - 13,500
Rockwall - 11,100
Kaufman - 9,100
You can see a live coverage map of the outages here.
The most reported outages are in the East Dallas, Garland area, according to Oncor.
Dallas County Judge Clay Jenkins said outages could last for several days for some people.
"This is not a generation problem like we sometimes have when it's cold or in the heat of the summer. This is a broken lines problem brought about by straight-line winds," he said. "This unfortunately will be a multi-day power outage situation similar to the one you saw in Harris County and Houston."
Oncor said it has deployed both assessment and repair crews to address the outages.
"We understand this is a very frustrating time for folks to be without power. We are asking for your patience and your help to as much as you can and as much as it is safe to do to stay off the roads," said Grant Cruise, Oncor's communications manager "Our crews need room to work. They are going to be out working long hours to get everybody back on."
Cruise said some infrastructure may need to be rebuilt rather than simply repaired.
Oncor has called in crews from out of state to help.
Hospitals, police stations, and critical infrastructure will get priority over individual homes.
For that reason, Jenkins urged people to check on their affected friends and family members and "be accommodating."
"Because this is going to be unfortunately longer than we've seen here in a while and a lot of the places that are without power are going to include hotels and things of that nature," he said. "We will continue working with Oncor and with all of our cities on this. The cities will be opening cooling stations in their rec centers."
READ MORE: Several schools closed, classes delayed Tuesday due to severe weather
Garland Power and Light customers are also reporting outages.
Shortly after 3 p.m., the City of Garland said there are about 9,000 GP&L customers without power. That is down from 35,000 earlier on Tuesday.
Video from FOX 4 viewer John Howell showed a sparking power line causing an explosion in Carrollton.
Emergency responders say you should not call 911 for power outages.
Cooling & Charging Stations
For those without power, there are several places people can go to charge their phones and portable devices and to get a break from the heat.
Dallas
Aside from 11 locations, all of the Dallas public libraries and recreation centers are open for the general public as cooling and charging stations. You can find a full list of locations and their hours at the links below.
Dallas Public Library System Hours & Locations
Dallas Rec Centers Hours & Locations
Plano
Plano’s libraries and recreation centers are available as cooling stations during regular hours of operation. Harrington Library currently does not have power and is closed.
Carpenter Recreation Center
Davis Public Library
Haggard Public Library
Liberty Recreation Center
Parr Public Library
Oak Point Recreation Center
Tom Muhlehbeck Recreation Center
Sam Johnson Recreation Center
Schimelpfenig Public Library
Richardson
Richardson Police Department (overnight)
Richardson Public Library – 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Heights Recreation Center – 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Huffhines Recreation Center – 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Mesquite
The Evans Recreation Center at 1116 Hillcrest Street will open at noon as a cooling center for residents without power and close at 9 p.m. Power will be available for charging cell phones. Light snacks and water will also be provided.
Balch Springs
Balch Springs Senior Center
2919 Balch Springs Road
Balch Springs, TX
Rowlett
Rowlett Community Center
5300 Main Street
Rowlett, TX