Two helicopters were able to fly about 10 a.m. this morning to fully assess the damage. Damage is significant and widespread and the helicopters continue scope the area. The number of downed power poles, lines and equipment continues to climb as we make it to across the area.

There are 29 transmission lines damaged. The power supply company who owns these lines are working hard on repairs, but these are large poles that carry a lot of load and it will take time. At last count, Medina EC has 15 power poles damaged.

We are bringing crews up from our Bruni and Laredo offices to assist with restoration efforts, in addition to multiple contractors.

Restoration Estimates: Please note - these are only estimates and can change. We will post updates throughout the day as we get them.

• D'Hanis - Power has been restored to many parts of the area. At approximately 12:30 p.m. there was a majority of power restored to this area and crews were working in the downtown area and working on other isolated outages.
• Hondo - Our power supplier is expected to bring power on to the substation at approximately 1 p.m.*As of 2:30pm, we were notified our power supplier located additional damage to lines that they are working to repair. Once those repairs are made, our crews will restore power to smaller groups of members as they are able identify additional damage. This will be a time-consuming process for the area and we do not have a final restoration time.
• Castroville - In this area equipment has been damaged in such a way that we cannot bring power to all members at once until necessary repairs are made.  For this reason we will cycle power between two subdivision to minimize the outage times. This is for New Alsatian and Star Oaks area. Members here will experience temporary power in 2 hour cycles. We do not have a time when this will end, and will depend on when the necessary repairs are complete.
• Rio Medina & Dunlay - These areas have extensive damage and the time of power restoration is undetermined. Unfortunately, power may not be restored to these areas until late Friday. We know this is not the news you want to hear, but it is the reality of the situation and we want you to be able to make preparations for your families.
• Other areas that have smaller or isolated outages are being responded to as quickly as possible.

Please report outages through SmartHub or by calling 1-866-632-3532. You can also chat us on our website. We can not reply to posts and messages on social media, including Facebook.

Our next update will be at 5 p.m. We appreciate your patience and understanding as crews work as quickly as safely possible to get power back on for every member.

Mark Rollans addresses the restoration efforts: https://youtu.be/uKYTi3f6xhA

Tips to remember:

- Report outages on SmartHub or by calling 1-866-632-3532.

- Do not approach downed power lines or poles. They could still be energized and are dangerous.

- Do not drive through flood waters. Turn around, don't drown!

- Unplug appliances and devices to prevent power surges to them.

- Keep refrigerators and freezers closed to help maintain the temperature.