With daylight, we are working to get a better idea of the damage sustained across our system, primarily in Medina County. We have two helicopters flying the system this morning to fully assess the damage, but it is clear restoring power will take time. Our hearts go out to our members, our employees and our communities as they clean up after last night's storms.

There are 22 transmission lines damaged from D'Hanis, to Hondo, to south Castroville area. 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. In the early stages of damage assessments, Medina EC has 12 power poles damaged, but this number could go up as we continue to monitor the system.

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 parts of the area and will continue to come back on in the morning hours.
• Hondo - Due to extensive transmission line damage, power restoration will take more time and may not be restored to some parts until late this evening.
• Castroville - While crews work to restore power here, we will be able to bring power on temporarily to members in cycles. Some members may experience power temporarily for about two hours and then power will go off again. This allows crews to work safely while shifting the power load across the area.
• Rio Medina - More extensive damage in this area and we expect longer restoration times. As we get a better assessment of the damage, we hope to have a better estimate of restoration times.
• Dunlay - Due to extensive transmission line damage, power restoration will take more time.  Damage includes a train accident with transmission lines. We do not have an estimate on restoration at this time.
• 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 1 p.m. We appreciate your patience and understanding as crews work as quickly as safely possible to get power back on for every member.

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.

Obstacles our crews are facing: