Power Crews Brace For Green Country Ice Storm

Power companies would rather have snow than the freezing rain that's falling.

More than half an inch of ice could have crews working overtime to restore power.

While PSO is setting up shop at the Tulsa State Fairgrounds, Oklahoma's Electric Cooperative is waiting on the weather before staging crews.

Sid Sperry, who's with the co-op that covers all 77 counties in Oklahoma, says they're not staging because one degree in difference at the surface or in the atmosphere can mean the difference between ice or rain.

12/20/2013 Related Story: Ice Storm Warning Issued For Eastern Oklahoma

Sperry says over the last three days crews have been loading up on supplies.

There will be plenty here at the Fairgrounds as PSO prepares for our winter weather.

The benefit of working out of the fairgrounds is PSO'S ability to organize crews.

While the electric company is expecting more than 500 additional workers overnight, that's nothing compared to the 2007 ice storm.

"We had over 5,000 workers in the Tulsa area at that time, but that's how severe it was; we had over an inch of ice," Sperry said.

PSO spokesperson Stan Whiteford says the 2007 ice storm has allowed the company to become more efficient in restoring power on a wide scale.

Whiteford gave the example of our recent wind storms in Tulsa. He says they were able to restore power to more than 100,000 people in just a couple of days.