Customers Urged To Have Spring Power Outage Plan

Lewisville, Texas

The time is right for residents in much of Texas to keep an eye on the sky.

Texas-New Mexico Power, which operates power lines serving 236,000 homes and businesses across Texas, would like to recommend to customers that they also prepare for the possibility of power outages that can result from spring thunderstorms.

Lightning and wind often accompany the much-needed rain that spring can bring, and they can affect our equipment and disrupt power. The spring months typically are the busiest outage-restoration time of the year for our techs, with long afternoons and evenings spent making repairs and restoring power.

“We watch weather forecasts closely when storms are expected so that we can be prepared to respond and restore power,” TNMP President Neal Walker said. “Our customers can be ready for that time until power is restored by having a plan for their families or businesses.”

Steps Customers Can Take

  • Put the power company’s phone number in a convenient location.
    • For TNMP customers, call 888-866-7456 to report an outage or get an update.
  • Check flashlights or electric lanterns in advance.
  • Ensure they have fresh batteries for flashlights and hand-held radios.
  • Charge phones, tablets, rechargeable lanterns and hand-held video games in the hours before a storm is expected to arrive.
  • Have snacks and drinks ready to go – but not in the refrigerator, which should stay closed while the power is out.
  • Prepare a backup plan if someone in the home depends on powered medical equipment.

Customers also may wish to discuss with children, in advance, what a power outage means, particularly after dark.

How Customers Can Stay Safe

  • Avoid using landline phones if there is lightning in the area.
    • Cordless and mobile phones are OK.
  • Teach everyone in the home to stay far away from any downed power lines, regardless of whether power is on in the area.
  • Run portable generators outside and well away from any buildings.
    • Portable generator owners also should know why they should only power specific appliances – not an entire home or business.

Staying safe when lightning is around also is important. Tips are available from ready.gov/thunderstorms-lightning

How TNMP Prepares

We prepare crews for power outage work in areas that are forecasted to be affected by incoming weather. We also have plans for quickly calling in additional crews, if needed.

Our first focus is on fixing damage that is disrupting power for the most number of customers, and finding storm-damaged equipment, particularly after dark, can be time-consuming.

Crews will work 24-7, with a strong emphasis on crew member safety, until all customers have power restored from these storms.

TNMP is a transmission and distribution service provider that delivers power to about 236,000 homes and businesses on behalf of retail electric providers in Texas. It is a wholly owned subsidiary of PNM Resources.

Media contact
Eric Paul: 409-949-5685