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Winter Storm Recovery: Power Slowly Restored To Hill Country Customers After Days In Cold Darkness

The Fredericksburg-based Central Texas Electric Cooperative reported power was restored to another 900 members on Friday, a week after the winter storm struck the region in mid February.

The power provider says more than 3,000 customers remained without electricity. As many as 30,000 were without power in its service area right after the storm hit.

CTEC explained an area between Harper and Enchanted Rock was the hardest hit, with power poles and lines collapsing under the heavy weight of ice.

The utility said it had 73 crews in the field on Friday. It received assistance from other area power providers, including the City of Fredericksburg, the Kerrville Public Utility Board, and the Bandera Electric Cooperative.

Officials hoped the remaining members would have power back next week.

Repairs were underway at Harper and Mountain Home and along Cherry Mountain Loop and Willow City, all near Fredericksburg.

The cooperative reported hundreds of wooden power poles coated in heavy ice snapped like matchsticks and were labor intensive to replace.

Some Hill Country residents have been without power for ten days or more as of this past week. The Central Texas Electric Cooperative General Manager Bob Loth said what happened this month was the proverbial perfect storm.

"Eight days subfreezing temperatures, the roads were closed. We had difficulty getting help in. We've got crews on the ground now," he said.

Jack Morgan contributed to this report.

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