In addition local first responder were kept busy amid the frigid temperatures.
Dallas-Fort Worth (WBAP/KLIF) – Even though Oncor has responded hundreds of power outages since Thursday amid the recent Arctic cold snap, the power utility says that none of the power issues are related to the Texas grid.
Connie Piloto with Oncor says the local problems across the metroplex are due to high winds impact it’s systems and equipment, in addition to prolonged stress on the system amid plunging wind chills.
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Oncor crews are working as quickly and as fast it can to get the lights back on. As of around 6:45 a.m. some 560 outages were reported, affecting about 18,000 customers.
The cold weather also kept first responders busy. Matt Zavadsky, with MedStar Mobile Healthcare which serves a large portion of Tarrant County says that of 20 weather-related calls on Thursday, 16 patients were transported to hospitals – 2 of them in critical condition. Among critical patients was a man who was found unresponsive behind a McDonalds on Lancaster Avenue in East Fort Worth. The man later died at a hospital.
Zavadsky details a how extreme cold could worsen some underlying conditions.
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Zavadsky says the all of the victims were either working outside or among the homeless who are the most vulnerable. He reminds everyone to avoid prolonged exposure to the frigid temperatures to avoid frost bite and hypothermia. He also says that extreme cold can exasturbate underlying conditions like respiratory illness and heart issues.
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Meantime, air travel is snarled as a result of the weather-related issues. More than 2,000 u.s. flights were canceled and over 7,200 more were delayed as of late Thursday afternoon due to inclement weather. .
According to the online flight-tracker Flightaware, DFW Airport had 874 delays, and 115 cancellations Thursday. American Airlines had 36 of those cancellations.
Dallas Love Field had 204 delays, and 57 cancellations; Southwest Airlines accounted for 55 of those cancellations.
Some 1700 flights are expected to be canceled today (Friday) due to bad weather.
(Copyright 2022 WBAP/KLIF 24/7 News.)
