Storms leave one dead, 42,500 powerless

A utility worker responding to a downed line call was electrocuted Friday as Oklahoma cleaned up after storms that left about 42,500 residents without power at one time. <br/><br/>Public Service Co. of

Saturday, June 18th 2005, 12:24 pm

By: News On 6

A utility worker responding to a downed line call was electrocuted Friday as Oklahoma cleaned up after storms that left about 42,500 residents without power at one time.

Public Service Co. of Oklahoma employee Randy Hutchinson, 53, died while working near Leedey in western Oklahoma, spokeswoman Amber McNeil said. Dewey County Sheriff Bud Prentice said Hutchinson slipped on wet grass after getting out of his boom truck around 4 a.m. and slid into an area where power lines had fallen during the storm along Oklahoma Highway 47 about nine miles east of Leedey.

His partners called for help and attempted to resuscitate him, but a medical examiner pronounced Hutchinson dead at the scene, Prentice said. Hutchinson, who is from Elk City, was a general servicer and had been with PSO since 1978, McNeil said. He is survived by his wife, Sally, and a son, Jason, she said.

The Oklahoma Corporation Commission reported that at the height of the storms about 42,500 Oklahomans were without power. Storms have caused power outages five times in Oklahoma in the past two weeks.

Michelann Ooten, spokeswoman for the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management, said the number of outages spoke well of the work utility crews have done in the past.

``In the last few years, there have been ice storms that led to a lot of power outages that caused crews to go in and replace lines,'' Ooten said. ``The number of outages we have had after five storms is a testament to the good job that they have done.''

It was not, however, much comfort for those still waiting to get power restored Friday evening, Ooten said.

A little more than 2,000 customers of Oklahoma Gas & Electric Co. were without power Friday night, including about 530 in the metro Oklahoma City area, 579 in Ardmore and 301 in Wilson. OG&E also reported to the State Emergency Operations Center that the storm did significant damage in the Springer area where 39 transmission and distribution structures were down along a 3-mile stretch of the system. Restoration may take a few days in some areas, according to OG&E.

PSO crews were attempting to restore power to about 800 customers Friday night, McNeil said. About 500 customers in Chickasha and 300 in the Tulsa area were awaiting service.

``We should be done with the last customer by about noon on Saturday,'' McNeil said.

The worst storm damage occurred in western Oklahoma. Storm spotters confirmed a tornado north and east of Knowles in the Oklahoma Panhandle around 6:30 p.m. Thursday, said K.D. Shook, emergency management director for Beaver County.

A barn was twisted off its foundation and trees and power lines were damaged, authorities said.

In Fletcher, in southwestern Oklahoma's Comanche County, one business was destroyed and one business sustained major roof damage, according to the emergency center. The storm also blew the roof off a business in Lawton.

To the north, in Dewey County, a grain elevator in Camargo was damaged when the roof was blown off and downed trees and power lines briefly led to closing of state Highway 34. Near Taloga, U.S. Highway 183 north of the city was shut down briefly due to power lines across the road. Both highways reopened Friday.

In Chickasha, in Grady County, the heaviest damage was reported in the River Bend Golf Course subdivision. A total of 16 homes were damaged and one was destroyed, according to the emergency center.