Texas public power utility Kerrville Public Utility Board provided an update on power restoration efforts in the wake of the catastrophic flooding that devastated the Hill Country region.
As of the afternoon of July 5, KPUB had restored power to the vast majority of customers in Center Point and the North Fork area of Hunt. Approximately 400 customers remained without power at that time.
The South Fork area sustained some of the most extensive damage, including approximately 40 downed power poles, widespread tree and flood debris, and heavily damaged infrastructure.
KPUB issued a mutual aid request on July 4 after assessing the widespread damage to assist with restoration efforts.
“We now have 50 additional personnel from utilities across Texas assisting our teams in the field. Our heartfelt thanks go to those who answered our call for help, including crews and contractors from Floresville Electric Light and Power System, Georgetown Utility Systems, Bryan Texas Utilities, Central Texas Electric Cooperative and the City of Fredericksburg,” it said on July 5.
Restoration for customers in the remaining West Kerr areas “will be lengthy and complex—even with mutual aid support—due to the extensive damage and ongoing challenges caused by the flooding,” it said.
KPUB urged customers in these remaining areas to prepare for multi-day outages as crews continued working to safely to rebuild infrastructure and restore power as quickly as possible.
“This has been an incredibly difficult and heartbreaking time for our Hill Country community,” said Mike Wittler, KPUB General Manager and CEO. “We are very grateful for our mutual aid network and the support we have here from across Texas. Our hearts are with all those impacted by the flooding, and we remain committed to restoring power to our remaining customers as quickly and safely as possible.”