Tulsa-area officials said it may be “days, not hours” before the region restores electricity after storms rampaged over the weekend.
The Tulsa World reported:
“We are seeing damage that, when it’s all said and done, may not be quite as bad as the 2007 … ice storm, but it’s going to be close,” Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum said during a Sunday morning news briefing on the “wall of wind,” as he put it, that hit the Tulsa metro at about midnight.
“There’s a lot of work out there,” Bynum said. “Please be patient.”
Tulsa County Commission Chairman Kelly Dunkerly said the damage is spread throughout the metro area.
Dunkerly said Tulsa, other municipalities and the county have declared emergencies in order to pool resources.
Here’s a report from a local television station.
In an indication of how widespread the power outages are, Mary Beth Babcock said her landmark Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on Route 66 in Tulsa is closed.
Route 66 travelers should be aware of this situation in northeast Oklahoma. Restaurants, motels and attractions might be closed due to lack of power, though the outages are somewhat sporadic.
If you have plans, it’s probably a good idea to call ahead to see whether your destination is open.
(Power outage map on Monday morning from PSO Oklahoma)