AEP Texas crews have begun the final stages of service restoration in the aftermath of the Wednesday evening storm, which left approximately 21,000 customers without power in San Angelo and surrounding areas.   Approximately 220 customers remained without power as of 12:30 on Friday afternoon.

“We are continuing to focus on individual pockets of outages,” said Mark Baker, AEP Texas manager of Distribution Systems.  “In some cases where the home or facility was damaged to the point where power cannot be restored safely, the owner will need to contact an electrician.”

Baker indicated that service should be restored to remaining customers without power by 10 p.m. Friday night although a few isolated outage pockets may require attention on Saturday.  AEP Texas crews will work through the weekend to complete repair or replacement of 64 distribution poles and at least 15 transmission structures damaged by the storm.

“I want to say thanks to the crews who have worked so hard over the past few days to restore electric service, especially those who had to travel a long distance to get here,” Baker said.  “And, I am extremely appreciative of the patience and support we’ve received from area residents.”

This will be the final update published in the News and Information area of the www.aeptexas.com website.  The most current number of outages in specific parts of the AEP Texas service territory can be viewed in the Outages & Problems area of the website.