Power restored to peninsula after storm

BOLIVAR PENINSULA — About 24 hours after a winter blast knocked power out to about 7,000 Galveston County residents, the last of those left in the dark had power restored Saturday morning. Electricity was fully restored by about 3 a.m. to the Bolivar Peninsula.

The return of power ended a 24-hour ordeal for residents of the sparsely populated peninsula. It was a frustrating time as residents who made due throughout the day hanging out at a local bar because it was one of the few spots on Bolivar that had generator power.

But as day moved into night, the lights elsewhere remained off. Promises from Entergy, the exclusive power supplier for the peninsula, that power would be restored by noon, was pushed back to 3 p.m., then to 8 p.m. and then midnight.

At 10 p.m. Friday, more than 2,000 people on the Bolivar Peninsula were still without power because of the cold weather. 

There were reports of people sleeping in running vehicles to keep warm. The peninsula had been without power since ice covered power lines at about 4 a.m. Friday.

“I was so upset last night when I found out that there were people staying in their vehicles to stay warm with small children and some sick, and we had no place open for them to keep warm,” Crystal Beach resident Joni Harding said. “We had no real idea what time the power would be restored.”

Eighteen hours after the lights went dark, county officials scrambled and convinced High Island school officials to open up its library so residents would have a place to get out of the cold as temperatures returned to below freezing levels.

It was a scenario the county’s emergency management team had discussed but thought wouldn’t be needed.

“We would have never guessed it would take so long,” County Judge Mark Henry said. “We at first heard from (Entergy) that the power would be restored by noon, then it was 3 p.m. then it was at night.

“It really surprised us, because (Entergy) had all the resources it needed.”

What Entergy didn’t have was help from Mother Nature. The source of the problem was frozen power lines, which created what industry officials call galloping.

Power lines, weighted down by the ice, would slap into adjacent power lines and tripping off circuits.

“What (Entergy) really needed was sunlight and temperatures above 40 degrees,” Henry said.

Neither happened. While the rest of the county enjoyed slightly warmer temperatures and spots of sunlight Friday afternoon, a dark cloud, drizzle and high winds hung over Bolivar.

All of the power company’s efforts were thwarted because Mother Nature would not cooperate.

Galveston County Emergency Management Coordinator John Simsen said a warming center had not been set up because of promises from the energy company power would be restored to fight against the bitter cold.

Henry said it was not until contacted by The Daily News about reports that residents were sleeping in running vehicles to have access to heat that he was aware the problem was critical.

By the time he called Simsen, the ball was already rolling on setting up the warming center at middle school library. While later in the night, it took about 30 minutes to get the library opened and the heat blowing.

“John was way ahead of us in thinking too that the generator at Coconuts (the local bar that was also serving as a warming center for adults) would also need more gas,” Henry said. “By the time I reached him, the cots were on the way to the school, and fuel was on the way to Coconuts.”

For many residents, the action came to late.

“The county should have had a backup plan in place for the Bolivar residents,” Harding said. “There were people using their gas stoves, propane, butane or what ever else that they had available, which could have been a really bad situation.”

Because the warming center did not open until 10 p.m. Friday, no one took advantage of the service.

Henry said having warming centers ready to go would be a part of any future plan to deal with bone-chilling weather.

“We have a binder called ‘Lessons Learned’ that’s for emergency management use, and this will go in there for sure,” Henry said. “That way we are ready for any future incidents.”

Red Cross Galveston County Director Mari Berend said her agency is prepared to help the county with future freezing weather incidents. It would help to have a storage location on the peninsula, Berend said.

Power also was out for 2,000 residents on Galveston’s West End. With the exception of a handful of customers, power was restored at about 7 p.m. Friday, CenterPoint Energy regional manager Keith Gray said.

Saturday also brought welcome news for drivers. There was no repeat of the icy roads and bridges motorists experienced Friday. Police reported no overnight accidents or iced-over bridges and overpasses.