Expected Winter Weather Sparks Concerns About Falling Tree Limbs Causing Power Outages

With ice on the ground and snow in the forecast, some are concerned about falling tree limbs impacting power outages.

"We ended up not having power for about just under four hours, so it wasn’t too bad, but it got cold fast," said Broken Arrow resident Jordan Hendricks. 

Jordan Hendricks lives in Broken Arrow and said she already lost power once this week. She said with the number of trees in her area and snow expected, she's worried it could happen again. 

"PSO has done a lot of work over the past few years to remove that vegetation from those power lines and they are ready for this storm too," said Taylor Malone with Up With Trees.

Malone said Public Service Company of Oklahoma is prepared to handle any trees near power lines, but there are things you can do if you are concerned about a tree on your property. She said you can use a broom to knock the snow and ice off the lower branches of trees to prevent them from breaking. 

"The biggest thing that will hurt your trees is the extra weight of the snow on those lower branches," she said.

Malone said the amount of ice we have seen so far is not enough to bring down trees, but it is important to pay attention to the amount of snowfall. 

"Trees are built for this, they can handle it year-round," Malone said. 

For more information on how to dispose of trees or limbs, click here.