With these winter conditions, another factor that comes into play is electricity. Marfa, Shafter, Fort Davis and Valentine were without power for about an hour and a half early Thursday morning.
More than 10,000 people in our area were without power during the last winter storm, but Oncor is already trimming trees and loading up extra gear in advance to be a step ahead of Mother Nature.
Power was finally restored to the last few homes as of Friday, November 29 but Oncor workers are hardly putting away the work boots just yet.
"We react to what we can actually predict or foresee. Mother Nature doesn't always cooperate with that," Sue Mercer, West Region Manager of Oncor, said.
Oncor always has a meteorologist on hand to monitor if a winter storm or extreme heat is approaching because power outages don't just happen when it's cold. They also have advanced map systems to alert maintenance workers about blackout areas.
But when we get the icy rain, like we've seen recently, one thing the experts agree on is steer clear of power lines.
"Two to three inches can accumulate on those wires. Soon, those cross wires are 1,500 pounds and they collapse," Tom Michael, General Manager of Marfa Public Radio, said.
If you happen to see any dangling power lines, do not approach it. Immediately call 9-1-1.
"There are other utilities on the power poles besides electricity there can be cable TV or there can be telephone," Mercer said.
The difference is hard to tell, but if you come in contact with an electricity line, it could be fatal.
In the event of a power outage, it's smart to stock up on water and gasoline. For those with health conditions who lose power, have a friend check up on them periodically. It's likely for those in rural areas who lose power that their neighbors will be in the same situation.
"It's really the end-of-the-line territory out here, and in a big city, when a couple of poles get iced over and go down, a block may go down. But out here, you could lose whole towns," Michael said.
If you find yourself without power, you can alert Oncor by simply texting them.
