Storm Clean Up Begins In Westville

News On 6

WESTVILLE, OK -- The Red Cross is working to help victims of the winter storm in and around the town of Westville in Adair County.

The storm knocked down or damaged several big trees in the area. 

Westville is one of the communities where a Red Cross shelter has set up.

Nellie Kelly, the director of public relations for the American Red Cross Tulsa Area Chapter, said the Red Cross was making food deliveries to some of the towns in the wors-hit areas, and then the fire departments were distributing the meals to people who can't get out.

Eighteen people spent the night at the shelter at the Assembly of God Church on Highway 62, and there were 65 people there as of 10:30 Thursday morning, according to Kelly.

Kelly said all Red Cross shelters in the area affected by the storm are completely staffed and have plenty of supplies.

She said the best way for people to help the Red Cross to help the storm victims is to make cash donations.

You can do that by going to the Red Cross home page.

As of 8am Thursday, the total consumer outages being reported by six electric cooperatives stood at 19,844, according to Sid Sperry, director of public relations for the Oklahoma Association of Electric Cooperatives.

Sperry said that's down from a peak of 38,834 on Tuesday.

The highest number of outages Thursday morning was reported by Ozarks Electric Cooperative based in Stilwell.

As of 8am Thursday, Ozarks Electric reported 10,276 customers without power.

Ozarks Electric has asked for help through its mutual aid agreement with other cooperatives in Oklahoma and Arkansas.

It has requested at least two digger trucks, two basket trucks and two 4-man crews to assist in its emergency power restoration effort.