Are Extra Power Linemen Headed to East Texas Ahead of Winter Weather?

(KNUE-FM) Naturally, many East Texans are wondering what the weather will be like this weekend. We know it's going to be an intense winter, but we wonder exactly how intense it will be. After all, we've heard from different sources that we should prepare to hunker down for several days. So many of us have done a little extra shopping and house prep to make sure our families are as ready as possible.

What We Know About This Weekend’s Winter Weather

By the way, if you're looking for some last-minute tips to make sure you're ready, here's some advice from the Texas Department of Public Safety in the link below:

Read More: How East Texans Can Prepare for This Weekend’s Winter Weather

We've also heard some say it may not be as severe as they're saying. We sincerely hope power doesn't go out and that everyone in East Texas is safe, and that we don't have to face the destruction of the weather. At the same time, we want to make sure we're ready.

Why Power Outages Can Still Happen

Sometimes we are also given some insight into how preparations are being made on a larger scale. We've heard that some adjustments have been made to ensure the power grid is ready to withstand the weather this weekend. That's encouraging to hear. Of course, if trees fall onto power lines, we can still face outages even if the grid is rock-solid (which you can monitor in real-time, by the way).

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But if we do experience outages, will there be enough linemen to resolve them promptly? (Thank heaven for these amazing workers for what they do to restore in times like these. We are so grateful.) Well, there's a rumor that more linemen are already headed this way.

Reports of Extra Linemen Headed to East Texas

A Tyler-area woman named Keri shared a post yesterday on All Things Tyler about what she'd heard from her brother in California, who is part of a unionized group of linemen. Keri said he told her that many crews were already heading our direction ahead of the weekend weather. Her post read:

Not trying to scare anyone, just a warning. My brother is Over a portion of a lineman union and has been for 25 years. He just called (from cali) and warned us that every single crew has been pulled to start heading this way. They didn't even do this in 2020/21. Please prepare but don't over stock yall save enough for everyone it's gonna be rough. Be safe yall!

Keri, please go ahead and thank your brother on our behalf. If that's true, that could be a game-changer. Some in the comments were concerned that this meant they believe the weather will be severe, which is understandable. At the same time, there is great comfort in knowing that they are sincerely planning ahead. We also know that Governor Abbott has been thoroughly planning ahead, too.

Simple Ways to Prepare Without Panicking

Regardless, please make sure to do a little prep at home. Stay off the roads if at all possible. Please bring your pets inside. Check on your neighbors, if it's safe. Here's hoping that the weekend goes as smoothly as possible, y'all. Sending love to you and yours.