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Update 4pm - ****Supplies Out**** A second distribution is anticipated soon. More information when it’s available
February 19, 2021 - The Emergency Management Office currently has a limited supply of water and MRE’s for distribution. This will be from now till 5:00pm today (February 19) or until supply runs out behind the Shelby County Courthouse.
We have submitted requests for more through the proper resource request submission procedures.
The water is in 32oz containers. With limited supplies, one case of water and one box of MRE’s per vehicle please.
February 19, 2021 - Shelby County Judge Allison Harbison signed a Declaration of Disaster on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
WHEREAS, the County of Shelby, Texas, on the 17th of February, 2021, has suffered widespread and serious property damage, resulting from severe weather conditions, such as freezing rain, ice, snow, and critically low temperatures.
WHEREAS, such conditions have created a public safety hazard.
WHEREAS, the County Judge of Shelby County, Texas, has determined that extraordinary measures be taken to protect life, as well as, to protect and/or rehabilitate property, and are necessary and hereby ordered.
Now, therefore, be it proclaimed by the County Judge of Shelby County:
I. That a local state of disaster is hereby declared for Shelby County, Texas, pursuant to Section 418.108(a) of the Texas Government Code.
II. Pursuant to Section 418.108(b) of the Texas Government Code, the state of disaster shall continue for a period of not more than seven days from the date of this declaration unless continued or renewed by the Commissioners' Court of Shelby County, Texas.
III. Pursuant to Section 418.108(c) of the Texas Government Code, this declaration of a local disaster shall be given prompt and general publicity and shall be filed promptly with the County Clerk.
IV. Pursuant to Section 418.108(d) of the Texas Government Code, this declaration of a local state of disaster activates the county/city Emergency Management Plan.
Ordered this 17th day of February, 2021.
Status as of Friday, 11 AM
February 19, 2021 - Today we welcomed 200 crews to aid in restoration. Unlike tornado or hurricane damage that generally impacts a portion of our system more than another, this storm produced damage and outages across our full system. While we love our East Texas Pine Trees, they are not a good partner to heavy ice! These widespread outages are making it very difficult to give specific restoration estimates by area at this point. Keep in mind that today is the first day that we’ve had temperatures above freezing. Navigating highways with large, heavy equipment and getting extra crews here has been a challenge on icy roads. We expect to see some good progress today.
At this time, we are prioritizing water systems as they are critical infrastructure. This does not mean we are not working on all other areas as well.
If you are without power, please call 1-800-392-5986. For prompt service, please know your meter number. Due to heavy call volume we are experiencing some delays in recording your outage. Please continue to call our lines. Without your meter number, you will experience longer times or dropped calls as we cannot connect everyone with a live agent with this many outage calls still coming in.
There are several news stories circulating about high bills to come and price gouging within the electric industry. Please know that only a small portion of the DETEC system (less than 1%) is within the much talked about ERCOT system. In addition, you are served by a non-profit cooperative whose price structure is not as told in these stories. PLEASE DO NOT WORRY over these fear filled stories. The current focus is restoring power and getting folks back to a comfortable state in their homes, this coverage is counterproductive to that goal.
February 19, 2021 - Sabine State Bank will open at noon today, February 19 and will extend banking hours on Saturday, February 20 until 2pm. Please check back for updates as weather conditions change.
February 18, 2021 - Shelby County Offices will be closed Friday, February 19, 2021 due to road conditions, power outages, and water outages. We plan on opening for business Monday, February 22, 2021.
Everyone please be careful and stay safe!
February 17, 2021 - Shelby County Offices will be closed on Thursday, February 18th due to the current weather crisis.
Everyone please stay off the roadways.
Please stay safe and warm!!
February 16, 2021 - Due to the weather, Shelby County Offices will be closed on Wednesday, February 17, 2021.
The Commissioners' Court meeting is cancelled for Wednesday, February 17.
I urge everyone to stay off the roadways, if you have to go out, please be careful. Stay warm and safe.
February 15, 2021 - Due to dangerous road conditions all County Offices will be closed Tuesday, February 16th.
February 14, 2021 - The County Offices will close Monday, February 15, in observance of President's Day.
February 18, 2021 - The winter weather continues and many are needing to venture out to get fuel for generators and vehicles. Shelby County Today will keep a list updated of open gas stations with fuel available. Please be advised - the situation can change quickly so each notice we receive and post, we will include a time stamp. As of 2:17pm lines don't appear to be too long. Hurst Street in Center has one lane open each on the northbound and southbound side.
If you know of a fuel station open and with fuel available, email SCT at sctoday@att.net or text it to 936-332-4845. Please include gas or diesel or both, the name and location of station, and any other relevant details.
- Quick Stop in Joaquin (1:33pm)
- NuWay in Joaquin (1:33pm)
- Quick Stop in Tenaha, Credit Card Only (12:40pm)
- CheckOut in Logansport has supreme fuel (12:35pm)
- CEFCO on San Augustine Street in Center has gas, no diesel (2:17pm)
- Texaco at Southview Circle in Center has diesel and gas (2:17pm)
- Exxon on Hurst Street in Center has diesel and gas (2:17pm)
- No fuel at Shell station on 96 North (2:28pm)
- No fuel at Murphy in Center, they are closed and Walmart is closed (2:28pm)
- Brookshire Brothers in Center has fuel, pay at pump only, credit card required. Grocery Store open until 5pm. No milk, bread, eggs, or propane. (2:14pm)
- H&S Grocery on Shelbyville street is Open. (3:30pm)
- Brookshire Brothers and Quick Stop in Timpson (2pm)
February 18, 2021 - This week has been historic in terms of the severity of the weather across the state. I am praying for the safety of our community and our state.
Here are five things happening around your state:
1. Winter weather cripples Texas
A large winter system blew through Texas this week dropping 6-8 inches of snow and ice in parts of the state and leaving millions without power for days at a time. Freezing temperatures coupled with water and snow on the roads lead to iced out conditions, impassable roads, and multiple, lasting road closures. These conditions led to a shutdown of most businesses, including the state legislature which cancelled all of the scheduled hearings this week. Those hearings will be rescheduled at a later date. Local officials and power suppliers have been working hard to get Texans’ power back online.
The governor announced at a press conference this week that he ordered natural gas producers not to export any natural gas outside of the state until after this crisis is over to allow power generators to continue working. Additionally, he encouraged Texans to start reaching out to plumbers to plan repairs if pipes burst in your home. He encouraged the Board of Plumbing Examiners to grant provisional licenses to out-of-state plumbers and those who have let their license lapse in the past two years.
2. ERCOT and why Texas has its own electric grid
The Electric Reliability Council of Texas (ERCOT) runs Texas’ electric grid. ERCOT was formed in 1970 and was tasked with managing grid reliability in accordance with national standards. Importantly, ERCOT is an entity that is unique to Texas as our electric grid is entirely within our borders, so it is not regulated by the federal government. Most of Texas is covered by ERCOT, except for El Paso, northern parts of the panhandle, and parts of Southeast Texas – including the majority of Senate District 3. The ERCOT grid remains beyond federal regulation because it is not under the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission’s jurisdiction as FERC can only regulate interstate electric transmission. Though Texas’ grid remains independent, it does have ties to other grids including Mexico’s power grid and a few connections to the Eastern Interconnection through Oklahoma. Texas’ grid has its roots in the way electric utilities developed in the early 20th century. Small plants sprouted up throughout Texas as a way to supply power to the cities. They began linking to each other and furthered these connections during WWII to move power from dams along rivers to power factories that were helping with the war effort. These combined efforts formed the Texas Interconnected System, which eventually became ERCOT.
3. Texas ranked #1 exporter for 19th year in a row
Texas was ranked the number one exporter of all goods and products in the United States for the 19th year in a row. Texas ended 2020 with $279 billion in export trade, which is more exports than the next three highest ranked states combined, including California, New York, and Louisiana. Texas also ranked number one in exporting technology products for the eighth year in a row. Those exports totaled $44.8 billion. This is just another reason Texas is the number one state for business.
4. Senate Business and Commerce Committee to host hearing on ERCOT, power outages
Due to the failures of the ERCOT system and power outages across the state, Business and Commerce committee chair Senator Kelly Hancock has called a hearing of the Senate Business and Commerce Committee to investigate extreme weather preparedness and circumstances that led to the widespread power outages as directed by ERCOT. The committee will also examine generator preparedness and performance, natural gas supply, the reliability of renewables during this crisis, and overall ERCOT resilience. The committee will meet on February 25th at 9am in the Capitol building. To tune into this hearing, please visit https://senate.texas.gov/events.php.
5. Best practices during winter storm
During this extreme weather event, it’s important to keep in mind some best practices to ensure the health and safety of you and your community. Keep your thermostat at 68 degrees or lower if possible to conserve energy. Draw your curtains to preserve heat. Try and reduce your electric footprint by unplugging devices not in use. If you lose power, do not bring in any grills or outdoor cooking devices to heat your home or run your car in your garage. That can cause carbon monoxide poisoning which is a silent killer. Wear loose layers of clothing. Go to a warming shelter if possible. Find those at https://tdem.texas.gov/warm/.
February 18, 2021, 1:15pm - SWEPCO workers and contractors early Thursday began checking on damage and mobilizing crews to restore service to the 22,600 customers without power.
"As we saw the forecast for ice move south, we positioned workers in Shreveport, Natchitoches and Center. These line, tree and support workers are out assessing damaging and restoring power," said Drew Seidel, SWEPCO vice president of Region Distribution Operations.
SWEPCO has 1,500 internal and external resources working in our hardest-hit areas. Additional crews called to help SWEPCO were unable to reach our staging areas due to hazardous road conditions.
The areas most affected by the winter storm include DeSoto, Natchitoches and Sabine parishes and Shelby County, Texas.
SWEPCO estimates power will be restored for 95% of customers by the following times:
- Caddo and Bossier parishes – 10 p.m. Friday
- Center, Texas – 10 p.m. Friday
- Bienville, DeSoto, Grant, Natchitoches, Red River, Sabine, Vernon, Webster and Winn parishes – 10 p.m. Monday
Thousands of customers will see service restored each day. Restoration in heavily-damaged areas will continue into next week.
How SWEPCO Restores Power
SWEPCO prioritizes restoration efforts to safely get the largest number of customers on in the shortest amount of time and addresses restoration in these four steps:
First, assess damage and restore critical services, such as hospitals and fire departments
Second, restore outages that affect large groups of customers
Third, fix problems that affect smaller numbers of customers and
Fourth, make repairs that affect individual customers.
How to Report, Track Outages
- Log on to SWEPCO.com to report an outage and to sign up for text and email updates, including an estimated time of restoration.
- Use the SWEPCO app, available for download via the App Store or Google Play.
- Call 1-888-218-3919 to report your outage.
- Visit SWEPCO.com/OutageMap to find detailed information without logging into your account.
Stay Safe
- Assume that any downed utility line is energized. Stay away and keep children and pets away from downed lines. Report it immediately to SWEPCO at 1-888-218-3919.
- Be extremely careful when using any alternate forms of heating, cooking and lighting.
- If you use a portable or RV generator, do not plug the generator into your circuit box. Portable generators can "backfeed" electricity up the line and risk the lives of repair workers and the public. Follow the manufacturers' instructions carefully, and plug essential appliances directly into the generator.
If your power goes out
- If you lose power, please turn off heating, water heating and large appliances to enable smoother service restoration. Once power is restored, switch the devices back on gradually over the following 30 to 45 minutes. Taking this step helps prevent a sudden surge in demand after power is restored, which could result in a second outage.
For updates and photos, follow SWEPCO on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
About Southwestern Electric Power Co. (SWEPCO)
SWEPCO, an American Electric Power (AEP: NYSE) company, serves more than 543,000 customers in northwest and central Louisiana, northeast Texas and the Texas Panhandle, and western Arkansas. SWEPCO's headquarters are in Shreveport, La. News releases and other information about SWEPCO can be found at SWEPCO.com. Connect with us at Facebook.com/SWEPCO, Twitter.com/SWEPCOnews, Instagram.com/swepco, Youtube.com/SWEPCOtv and LinkedIn.com/company/swepco.
February 17, 2021 - Unfortunately, today’s update brings unwelcome news.
DETEC is currently reporting approximately 22,000 meters without power. This is 50% of the DETEC system. All outages now are due to ice accumulation. Half an inch of ice can add as much as 500 pounds to a power line, and damage can begin when accumulations exceed a quarter of an inch. Additional weight can be applied if a tree branch breaks off and rests on it, increasing the potential for the power line to come down. Rolling blackouts and load issues are no longer the primary issues as much damage to the system has occurred now.
Crews are fighting a loosing battle trying to restore power in the current conditions, but they continue to work to the best of their ability. We will have crews work until dark today as the road conditions will deteriorate as the temperature drops.
In full transparency we have as much damage, if not more, as we did from prior hurricanes. At this time, we estimate that power restoration may take up to 3 weeks to complete.
Due to the amount of outage calls coming in, our phone system has been unable to keep up. We are aware of these issues and have escalated this concern to the appropriate channels. We hope to have this issue resolved soon.
If you are dependent upon electricity for medical needs, seek an alternate location. Call 911 for medical emergencies, do not wait it out for the power to be restored. The Texas grid issues are too fragile, and the weather is too extreme to risk depending upon a quick restoration process.
We know what you are going through because the employees of your co-op and their families are going through this with you. As always, we will work as quickly and as safely as possible. Together, we will overcome yet another blow that Mother Nature has issued us. Please check on our neighbors, especially the elderly and those with children.
February 17, 2021 - Due to the emergency alert Eastex Telephone Co-op sent out below, City of Huxley phone lines will be down, including the emergency phone line. If you have a gas or water emergency and cannot reach us at 936-368-2377, please contact the Sheriff's Department at 936-598-5601 or dial 911.***
EMERGENCY ALERT FOR HUXLEY EXCHANGE CUSTOMERS
Due to ongoing power outages in the Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) region, our telephone and internet facilities served out of our Huxley exchange central office are currently being supported by battery backup power only. This backup power is not expected to last beyond 5 PM given the current and projected freezing conditions. Due to the extreme remote nature of the Huxley central office and current dangerous, icy road conditions, Eastex personnel are unable to reach this central office to deploy additional backup generators. This means that when the current battery backup runs out of power, all internet and telephone services supported by this central office will cease functioning, and customers served by this office will lose internet service as well as their ability to make or receive telephone calls via their landline phone, including calls to 911.
Eastex is coordinating with DETCOG as well as local 911 authorities in the Huxley exchange area to alert them to this situation and take all reasonable measures to assist customers in this area. If you have any emergency medical needs or require emergency assistance and do not have any reliable means to contact emergency responders other than your landline telephone service, please contact 9-1-1 as soon as possible to request assistance.
If you have questions about this alert, you may contact our Henderson business office toll-free at 800-232-7839. Please leave a detailed recording with your name, the telephone number associated with your landline service, and your service address. We are monitoring all calls while our business office is closed, and will respond to all messages as quickly as possible.
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