Days After Ice Storm, Some Tulsa Residents Still Without Power

Days after an ice storm hit the state, crews have almost gotten everyone's power back on. But the lights aren't on everywhere just yet.

The area near North Denver and the Tisdale Expressway is just one of many neighborhoods where PSO crews finished working to get people back online.

One family we spoke to is still in the dark Monday night, despite briefly having power restored from the weekend.

At the height of the ice storm, 8,000 PSO customers lost power across the Tulsa area.

Hundreds of customers in North Tulsa, West Tulsa and Midtown didn't have power Monday. But with the flip of a switch, rows of homes started heating back up and glowing with light.

"I came and saw that the lights were on and we were very excited," Debbie Phillips said.

Out of power Monday morning, Debbie Phillips and her family thought they might have to change their holiday plans.

Up the street, Rosaletta Risby is in the dark. She had power turned back on, but the line feeding her home was hanging dangerously low, creating a fire risk.

"I called PSO, and they go back there and look and said, 'we didn't know all this was happening, we're going to have to cut you off," Risby said.

PSO says its responsibility stops where the line meets the house, leaving Risby without power until an electrician can make repairs.

"It was just like taking my life away from me, just cutting it off," Risby said.

Risby takes medication and relies on medical equipment for breathing problems.

"If anything, it looks a little worse than what it did before, so we're really going to have to get someone out here," Granddaughter Deeah Kaulaity said.

Deeah Kaulaity stopped by to find her grandmother in the dark.

"She's on a fixed income, I mean it's Christmas season, I just went Christmas shopping, I didn't even know she was going through this," Kaulaity said.

The family reached out to community organizations for help, but so far no response.

"You don't call somebody out here to do work knowing you can't pay them. I cannot financially pay them, so I'm in a situation where financially I can't call a licensed person out here to do that. I don't have the money," Risby said.

As trees continue to fall on lines, power will continue to get cut off. PSO says some customers who were on vacation during the storm will continue to call in as they return home.

All of the storm-related power outages are expected to be taken care of by Monday night.