DALLAS – There are only a few more days to prepare for this weekend’s winter storms due to hit North Texas. Local business owners are warning residents to make preparations before it’s too late.
Business picks up
Business picked up Tuesday for Dallas-based Salas Services as people across North Texas are taking note of a multi-day winter storm set to move in on Friday.
“The word is getting out that the weather will be bad this weekend,” said Joseph Salas, owner of Salas Services.
Tree limbs are being cleaned up at the last minute before potentially falling on a home, a vehicle, or a power line.
“Those are the ones that are going to cause us the most trouble,” Salas continued. “We lose limbs that fall on power lines, then the whole neighborhood loses power. We don’t want that.”
Half an inch of ice accumulation can add 500 pounds of extra weight to power lines and can cause isolated, temporary power outages. That’s been a top concern in previous years.
Oncor says it’s monitoring the forecast, preparing for an extended period of below freezing temperatures and widespread winter precipitation.
A hot tip
A tip from Nick Chaset, the CEO of Texas-based electricity supplier Octopus Energy US, is to gradually raise your heat rather than to do so rapidly.
“I’m going to actually set the heater in my home at noon, so I don’t have to crank it up as high at 5 p.m.,” Chaset said. “It is more of a smoothing of the heating demand.”
“From an operator’s perspective and grid perspective, gradual is a lot easier to deal with than all at once.”
Chaset says he’s hearing confidence from ERCOT ahead of this winter event.
The system has improved so much over the last few years that it is in a better condition to deal with these extreme events,” Chaset continued. “But obviously you want to plan ahead.”
Make your preparations early
Salas Services says they’ve been warning their regulars all winter about exactly what this week brings. He’ll be ready when new customers call, needing help now.
“Get ahead of it. Don’t wait until it’s too late,” Salas warned FOX 4.
Salas tells me he will be on standby during the storm for emergency house calls. And after the storm, when the ice melts, the ground will be saturated, so it’s possible people might lose some uprooted trees.
That’s something he will watch during the expected frigid temperatures this weekend.
The Source: Information in this story came from FOX 4 reporting.
