Garland Power & Light
Home MenuPower Restoration Updates - 5/28/24 Storm
Storms with high winds on the morning of Tuesday, May 28 caused power outages across Garland. We appreciate your patience as GP&L crews restore power as safely and quickly as possible.
To report a GP&L power outage, call 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106, or text OUT to 972-205-4000.
For Oncor outages, call 888-313-4747 or text OUT to 66267.
GP&L’s Outage Center
How GP&L Restores Power
City of Garland Storm Recovery Resources
UPDATES:
6/5/24 at 3:20 p.m.
Power has been restored to all GP&L customers affected by last week’s storm who can safely receive service!
If you are still without power, please call 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106, or text OUT to 972-205-4000.
For those who had meter base damage, GP&L can reconnect service after it is repaired by the customer’s electrician and inspected by the City.
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6/5/24 at 9:25 a.m.
UPDATE: GP&L currently has 60 customer outage calls remaining from the storm to complete. Crews continue to work as safely and quickly as possible to restore power.
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6/4/24 at 9:20 p.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 170 customer outages remain. Many of these are homes that need meter base repairs by an electrician before they can safely receive service.
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6/4/24 at noon
At the Monday, June 3, 2024, Garland City Council Work Session, presentations were made for the Staff Update on Storm Recovery and Power Restoration Efforts agenda item #3.
Office of Emergency Management presentation starts at 25:38
GP&L presentation starts at 45:55
Sanitation presentation starts at 1:24:20
Questions start at 1:32:00
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6/4/24 at 8:45 a.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 350 customers affected by the last week’s storm are without power.
Crews are now making individual service restorations, which could include repairing individual service lines and reconnecting power to homes that can safely receive service.
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6/3/24 at 8:55 p.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 500 GP&L customers are without electric service. Thank you for your patience as the crews work safely and quickly as possible to restore power.
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6/3/24 at 3 p.m.
Since the meter base belongs to the homeowner, a damaged meter base, which is not securely attached to the house, must be repaired before electric service can be reconnected.
Steps for meter base repair, inspection and electric service reconnection.
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6/3/24 at 9:30 a.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 800 GP&L customers are without power. Crews will continue do their very best to restore power as safely and quickly as possible.
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6/2/24 at 8:25 p.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 900 GP&L customers are without electric service. Crews continue to work safely and quickly as possible to restore power.
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6/2/24 at 6:00 p.m.
/GP&L crews continue to work long hours to restore power to customers.
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6/2/24 at 11:30 a.m.
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6/2/24 at 8:45 a.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 1,300 GP&L customers are without power. Crews will continue working as safely and quickly as possible to restore your electric service.
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6/1/24 at 8:45 p.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 1,500 GP&L customers are without power. Thank you for your patience as crews work safely and quickly as possible to restore electric service.
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6/1/24 at 5:30 p.m.
We understand that being without power is frustrating and challenging. Please be assured that we will continue working around the clock until electricity is restored to all Garland Power & Light customers.
The outages that remain are within neighborhoods that were heavily impacted by Tuesday’s storm. In these areas, the high winds caused extensive damage, with trees and tree branches pulling down and tangling with the power lines. In some cases, poles were broken, and transformers were damaged. These types of outages are complex to tackle and take longer to repair.
Thunderstorms have made the restoration process slower and more difficult by limiting vehicle access in unpaved easements or alleys, which fill with water and become muddy. In these instances, linemen must carry in by hand any materials to make repairs, including poles, transformers and wire. The linemen are also having to climb poles to do their work instead of using the bucket trucks, which if stuck in the mud would cause further delay. The vegetation crews encounter the same issues. Lightning is also a safety issue and can slow progress.
We are thankful for the dedication of all the crews helping in the power restoration effort. They are committed to restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.
Thank you for your patience.
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6/1/24 at 10:30 a.m.
At this stage of GP&L’s restoration process, if power has been restored to your immediate neighbors, but you still do not have power, it could be an individual service issue. Please report this by calling 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106, or texting OUT to 972-205-4000.
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6/1/24 at 8:40 a.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 1,800 GP&L customers are without power.
If you meter base is damaged, please take steps to have it repaired.
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5/31/24 at 9:12 p.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 2,100 GP&L customers are without power. Crews will continue to work as safely and quickly as possible to restore power.
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5/31/24 at 4:00 p.m.
GP&L has had a lot of help with the restoration effort following this storm. We appreciate fellow public power utilities helping with our outage. Crews from Denton Municipal Electric, Greenville Electric Utility System, the City of Farmersville and CPS Energy from San Antonio have come to Garland to assist in restoring power. Bryan Texas Utilities, also a public power utility, sent two contractors, MP Technologies, LLC and Southern Electric Corporation as well.
Contractor line crews from MasTec, Primoris and Utility Construction Services have been working with GP&L crews to help get the power back on.
To clear the vegetation and the way for all of these lineman to work on the downed poles and power lines have been the tree crews, F&F Tree, Trees, LLC and Burford Trees.
Thank you all so much for your hard work and help. We appreciate your assistance.
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5/31/24 at 2:48 p.m.
UPDATE: Currently, 2,400 GP&L customers are without power. In areas where the damaged power lines are not accessible by bucket truck, linemen must climb the poles to make repairs.
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5/31/24 at 12:30 p.m.
When the electric meter base is damaged or pulled away from the home, you will need to call an electrician for repairs before power can be restored. Because the meter base belongs to the homeowner, GP&L cannot make repairs to it.
More information: https://www.gpltexas.org/outage-center/electric-meter-base-damage
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5/31/24 at 8:35 a.m.
UPDATE: Currently 2,500 customers are without power. GP&L & assisting crews continue to work throughout Garland. Here, GP&L and Farmersville crews repair a line in an alley. At right, a crew energizes a lateral power line by closing a fused cutout on a line they just repaired.
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5/30/24 at 5:45 p.m.
Tree trimming crews are clearing trees and limbs away from de-energized power lines that were pulled down during the storm. Once the vegetation is cleared, lineman can begin rebuilding the lines.
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5/30/24 at 4:25 p.m.
Garland City Manager Jud Rex and GP&L CEO Darrell Cline talk about the ongoing restoration efforts.
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5/30/24 at 4:13 p.m.
In case you are wondering why you do not have power, but your neighbor does, here are some of the many reasons.
• You may be on a different electric circuit than your neighbor (this is not uncommon with neighbors across the street or on the other side of the alley).
• Your electric circuit may be damaged, and the utility will isolate this section and restore power to the sections not damaged. In cases of large outages like we are experiencing, the decision may be made to come back at a later time to fix this section of the circuit. This is because the efforts of the utility at the time are to get power restored to as many people as quickly as possible.
• You may be on a different transformer than your neighbor.
• The service line to your house may be damaged.
• The meter base of your house may be damaged.
• You and your neighbor may have different electric service providers (GP&L/Oncor).
• You may have an internal electrical issue.
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5/30/24 at 10:24 a.m.
With the feeder work mostly complete, more crews can work on the lateral power lines in the neighborhoods. Trees and large branches will be cleared from downed power lines before the crews repair the lines.
All crews are working as safely & quickly as possible to restore power.
5/30/24 at 9:10 a.m.
Currently 4,800 GP&L customers without power. Additional crews from other municipal electric utilities, contractors and tree trimmers gathered early this morning before heading out to help with the power restoration effort.
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5/29/24 at 8:03 p.m.
The severe storm on Tuesday morning caused power outages for almost half of Garland Power & Light’s customers. From a peak of more than 35,000 outages, GP&L has restored power to more than 29,000 customers. Although good progress has been made, there are still 5,800 customers without electric service.
At this stage of the restoration process, focus is now on repairing lateral lines, which deliver power to fewer customers than feeder lines. Therefore, as lateral lines are restored, we will not see the large reductions in customer outages like we did on Tuesday.
Nevertheless, we anticipate steady progress. More outside crews joined GP&L crews today. Tomorrow, crews from the cities of Bryan, Denton, Farmersville and Greenville will be onsite to provide additional support. On Friday, crews from San Antonio will be onsite. All crews will work as safely and quickly as possible to restore electric service.
We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers as we continue to restore power. As a safety reminder, please stay away from downed power lines, and do not try to trim tree branches on or near power lines.
5/29/24 at 1:20 p.m.
Here is a quick overview of how GP&L and other utilities prioritize power restoration efforts during an outage:
• Crews are assigned to make repairs to equipment that will bring electricity back on for the largest groups of customers. Power lines that serve hundreds of customers are repaired first. Then, crews can work on the power lines that are inside neighborhoods.
• Next, smaller groups of customers are brought online. An example is a cluster of homes served by the same transformer.
• Finally, service lines to individual homes are repaired.
Check out this animated video of the power restoration process.
5/29/24 at 10:39 a.m.
Some power outages involve damage to individual electric service. If you see or are told by a GP&L lineman or door hanger that your meter base is damaged, you will need to contact an electrician to make repairs before GP&L can reconnect your service. Read about the steps to take.
If you see that others on your street have lights and you don’t, this may be because your home is on another electric circuit, or you have damage to your individual service. If you have damage to your individual service, report your outage again.
Please also be aware that as power is being restored, your lights may come back on, only to have them go off again because we discover another problem on the circuit that must be fixed.
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5/29/24 at 8:42 a.m.
Update: Currently, about 6,700 GP&L customers are without power. As power is restored to electrical circuits, those who reported the outage by text will receive a service restored text message. If you receive that message and still do not have power, there may be an issue with your individual service. Please report your outage again by calling 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106, or texting OUT to 972-205-4000.
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5/28/24 at 9 p.m.
At Garland Power & Light, we know our customers expect the lights to come on every time they turn on the switch. However, this morning’s storm caused power outages throughout Garland. At peak, more than 35,000 GP&L customers were without power.
So far, power has been restored to thousands of customers. As of 8:45 p.m., approximately 8,000 GP&L customers remain without power.
Due to the extensive amount of damage to GP&L’s electrical system from wind and fallen trees and branches, some customers may experience extended outages that could last for multiple days depending on damage and the impact from additional incoming weather systems.
GP&L will work around the clock on power restoration, with the goal of restoring electric service to every home and business as safely and quickly as possible.
In addition to GP&L crews, we have contract crews helping with power restoration efforts. We have requested mutual aid assistance from other power companies.
To stay safe, people and pets need to stay away from any downed power lines. To report a downed power line, please call 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106. Anything touching a downed line could be energized too. Do not attempt to remove debris and tree limbs from near power lines.
If you see or are told by a GP&L lineman or door hanger that your meter base is damaged, you will need to contact an electrician to make repairs before GP&L can reconnect your service. More details at gpltexas.org.
Customers are encouraged to check on neighbors and elderly or vulnerable residents, and to seek alternate accommodations if their power is not on.
Restoration updates will be posted at gpltexas.org and on City of Garland Facebook and Twitter, as well as on Nextdoor. Social media will not be monitored for outage reports.
To report a GP&L power outage, please call 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106, or text OUT to 972-205-4000.
Thank you for your patience as we work to restore power.
5/28/24 at 6:45 p.m.
Mayor Scott LeMay gives an update on the restoration progress.
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5/28/24 at 5:57 p.m.
GP&L crews continue to make progress on repairing damaged feeder lines that serve hundreds of customers. After these repairs are complete, crews can begin restoring power more locally within neighborhoods. This work may be slowed by vegetation on downed power lines.
Stay safe! Stay away from downed power lines, including those in your yard. Report downed lines by calling GP&L at 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106.
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5/28/24 at 3:08 p.m.
Update: Currently, there are about 9,000 GP&L customers without power. This is down from a peak of approximately 35,000.
GP&L is posting power restoration updates on https://www.gpltexas.org and on the City of Garland social media channels and Nextdoor.
Due to social media algorithms, feeds may not provide you the latest updates in a timely manner. Consider going directly to City of Garland social media pages for GP&L and other City updates.
COG Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/GarlandTXGov
COG X: https://x.com/garlandtxgov
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5/28/24 at 1 p.m.
If you are using a generator to keep your lights and appliances on during the power outage, make sure you are using it safely. Generators emit carbon monoxide, so run it outside of your home or garage, away from open doors and windows. Also be sure to follow the manufacturer instructions.
Check out more generator safety tips: https://www.gpltexas.org/outage-center/electric-safety/generator-safety-122
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5/28/24 at noon
Trees, branches and power lines are down due to the storm.
GP&L vegetation contractors will clear the toppled trees and limbs from electrical wires so our line crews can restore power. To continue restoring electricity to more customers as safely and quickly as possible, crews will not remove tree debris; it is the customer's responsibility to remove tree debris from the property.
Safety reminder: Do not go near downed power lines. If you see any, report by calling GP&L at 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106.
5/28/24 at 10:34 a.m.
GP&L currently has about 31,000 customers without power following this morning’s storm. Crews are restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.
GP&L follows utility industry practices for outage restoration by first making repairs that can bring electricity back on for the largest groups of customers, such as power line feeders or the lines that bring power into neighborhoods. Next, smaller groups of customers are brought online, such as a group of homes served on the same transformer. Finally, service lines to individual homes will be repaired. https://youtu.be/wRlnIGbURTQ
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5/28/24 at 8:40 a.m.
GP&L has outages on multiple electric feeders. Crews are assessing damage and will begin restoring power as safely and quickly as possible.
Please report GP&L power outages by calling 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106, or texting 972-205-4000.
https://www.gpltexas.org/outage-center
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5/28/24 at 7:28 a.m.
The high winds may have damaged power lines. If you see a downed power line, stay away and call GP&L at 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106 immediately.
GP&L’s Outage Center: https://www.gpltexas.org/outage-center
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5/28/24 at 6:50 a.m.
This morning’s storm has caused some power outages in Garland. Please report GP&L power outages by calling 972-205-3000 or 833-403-2106, or texting OUT to 972-205-4000.
For Oncor outages, call 888-313-4747.