Dallas Storm Damage: Crews Working Around The Clock to Restore Power, Remove Debris

As of early Wednesday afternoon, more than 126,800 Dallas residents were without power, and officials said mutual aid is coming from seven other states to ensure electricity is restored swiftly. About 7,500 personnel are working on Dallas storm damage relief efforts, and that number will increase in the coming days according to an Oncor representative. 

Dallas Emergency Management Director Travis Houston said it’s too early to assess the dollar value of the damage that occurred from hurricane-force winds and baseball-sized hail that swept through North Texas early Tuesday. 

A CandysDirt.com reporter attended an online press conference Wednesday afternoon organized by Interim City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert. 

While it’s been reported that power would be restored to most customers by Friday, with “heavily damaged areas” getting power on Saturday, Oncor Communications Manager Grant Cruise said he couldn’t identify when a particular area would be served. 

“The damage is widespread,” he said. “There’s not one specific area that we can point to and say, ‘These folks will be on in a few hours; these folks will be on Friday or Saturday.’ Access remains a major issue that we’re facing. A lot of vegetation management crews are arriving in the area. We are bringing in mutual assistance from a number of neighboring states.” 

Here Are Some Tips For Recovering From North Texas Storms

Storm Debris, Blocked Roads Hamper Crews

About 1,600 service requests have been submitted related to storm debris and blocked roads within the City of Dallas, Houston said. An incident management team — composed of 42 Dallas Water Utilities and Public Works crews — has already closed 433 of those requests. 

“They are continuing to work collaboratively across multiple departments to respond and knock that number down,” Houston said. “They’re working on a 24-hour basis. They’ll continue to do that until we get the debris removed.” 

About 120 traffic signals are “on flash,” and 141 are without power. 

“As power is restored to various areas, many of those will come back on; however, some may have been damaged as a result of the storm, so they may take a little longer to get brought back up online,” Houston said. “Especially in larger, critical high-traffic intersections, the Department of Transportation is putting out temporary stop signs.” 

Motorists were reminded to treat an unpowered intersection as a four-way stop. 

Garbage and recycling collection will be delayed one day. Debris should be placed in two piles: vegetative yard debris and storm debris such as building materials. It may take about two to collect all debris and return to a normal brush and bulky pickup schedule, Dallas Director of Sanitation Cliff Gillespie said.  

“We’re asking property owners or those in control to clear streets and alleys as they’re able to safely do so from any debris originating from their properties,” Houston added. 

All city facilities, including public libraries and park facilities, are serving as respite centers for those who need to access water, air conditioning, or electrical outlets to charge devices during business hours. Check the Office of Dallas Emergency Management website to ensure that a facility near you is available. 

“There are still a few facilities without power, so you just want to make sure you can verify operating hours,” Houston said. 

Dallas Storm Damage: What Should You Do?

City officials repeatedly directed residents experiencing non-emergency situations such as downed trees to call 311 rather than 911, which is reserved for emergencies requiring police, fire, or Emergency Medical Services. 

Houston suggested that those who have damage to their residence fill out an Individual State of Texas Assessment Tool (ISTAT) survey.  

“If you’ve had damage to your home, you can fill out basic information and upload pictures,” Houston said. “That goes to both us and the state so we can look at the totality of damages to private residences. That helps them determine if a request can be made to FEMA for a disaster declaration and potentially trigger some things like individual assistance or some additional disaster-related programs.”