By Brendan Hoover
Managing Editor

Mother Nature socked Oklahoma with another round of winter weather last week, but Mustang escaped the worst of it with only sporadic power outages and minimal emergency calls, officials reported.

More than an inch of freezing rain and sleet fell on central Oklahoma on Thursday, turning to snow Friday as five inches fell at Will Rogers World Airport, the National Weather Service reported.

The freezing precipitation knocked down trees and power lines, and at its peak, the Oklahoma Corporation Commission reported nearly 180,000 homes and businesses without electric service due to the storm. The hardest hit areas were southwest Oklahoma, including Lawton, where 38,644 people were without power, and Chickasha, where 11,782 were powerless.

By Monday, the Corporation Commission reported 79,393 people without power.

Power in Mustang remained on throughout most of the storm, City Manager Mike Rutledge said.

“There were power outages periodically around town, but most of them didn’t last but 30 minutes to an hour,” Rutledge said. “It was just a very different type of storm (than the Christmas Eve blizzard).”

Mustang firefighters battle home blazes

Mustang firefighters responded to 26 emergency calls between Thursday and Sunday, most related to requests for first aid due to falls, Fire Chief Carl Hickman said.

Crews responded Thursday night responded to a house fire at 2216 E. Pleasantview Dr., Hickman said.

The call came in at 6:59 p.m., and the fire began in a bedroom, possibly from an electric blanket, he said.

The official cause of the fire was undetermined, but it was accidental, causing an unspecified amount of damage to the residence. No injuries were reported, and crew remained on scene for two-and-a-half hours, Hickman said.

“It pretty much gutted the bedroom and there was smoke damage throughout the house,” he said.

Mustang firefighters also responded to a call for help on Saturday night regarding an Oklahoma City house fire.

The Oklahoma City Fire Department asked for assistance on a house fire at 12600 SW 18th St. at 7 p.m. Mustang responded with a chief officer and a tanker, providing 2,000 gallons of water to Oklahoma City crews in a support capacity, Hickman said.

Mustang police report calls down

Local drivers seem to have learned their lesson following the Christmas Eve blizzard that dumped 14 inches on central Oklahoma.

Mustang Police Captain Willard James said his department responded to just 44 calls for service from Thursday through Sunday.

Only a few were calls for help from stranded motorists, he said. During the Christmas Eve Blizzard, police responded to over 800 calls, most of them weather-related.

“Traffic wasn’t near as heavy, and in fact, we only had two accidents reported during that time frame,” James said.

The two accidents were separate hit-and-runs, and neither car was occupied at the time of the collision, he said.

A few traffic tickets were written after residents were observed driving four-wheelers on city streets. Although driving conditions may be hazardous during winter weather, driving all-terrain vehicles on public streets is illegal and discouraged, James said.

City responds quickly

Oklahoma Department of Transportation and Mustang road crews were still out Monday clearing local roadways for safe passage, Rutledge said.

The snowplows began clearing section-line roads on Thursday when the freezing rain began falling, and the trucks were out maintaining the city’s snow routes all weekend, he said.

The city bought a new Kenworth semi-tractor about two years ago – including a 12-foot plow and a salt and sand spreader – which has proved invaluable during this winter’s snowstorms, Rutledge said.

“We have one truck that we use a lot, and it’s a good truck. We have good equipment in it and it works well,” he said.

Since ODOT handed over ownership of a section of State Highway 92 last year, Mustang, Oklahoma City and Yukon have been responsible for its maintenance. Mustang did a good job of keeping Clear Springs Road ice-free during the storm, but there were reports of several vehicles sliding off the road after entering Oklahoma City’s Cemetery Road heading north, Rutledge said.

“Once they leave the city limits, they’re dependent on Oklahoma City to maintain that portion of it,” Rutledge said. “Apparently it wasn’t taken too good of care of.”

Mustang Town Center was open Saturday and Sunday, and city trash service fell behind on Friday due to the weather, but the Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority, Mustang’s sanitation service provider, was able to catch up on Saturday, Rutledge said.

“(OEMA) has done a great job with us,” he said.

Deaths attributed to storm

According to Oklahoma Emergency Management, seven deaths have been attributed to the winter storm.

- Rubin Rodriguez, 33, of Holdenville, died Saturday in a one-vehicle crash one mile north of US 270 on SH 48 in Hughes County. A passenger in the car, another Holdenville man, was treated and released from Holdenville General Hospital.

OHP has worked 568 storm related crashes, including 120 involving injury since the storm began.

The Oklahoma State Department of Health (OSDH) reported nine people have been treated for carbon monoxide poisoning. Additionally, OSDH reports 465 injuries from slips and falls and 100 injuries from motor vehicle accidents related to the storm.

The State Emergency Operations Center (EOC) remains activated and the Oklahoma Department of Emergency Management (OEM) is in contact with emergency managers in the affected areas. Agencies and organizations represented at the State EOC include the: American Red Cross, Salvation Army, Oklahoma Military Department, Oklahoma State Department of Health, Oklahoma Highway Patrol, 2-1-1 Oklahoma, Oklahoma Department of Transportation, Oklahoma Department of Agriculture Food and Forestry, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and FEMA.

Oklahoma remains under an emergency disaster declaration. On Saturday, President Obama approved Gov. Henry’s request for the federal disaster aid covering all 77 Oklahoma counties. The emergency declaration authorizes federal resources to assist state and local governments as they continue to respond to the severe winter storm. These resources include industrial size generators, bottled water, cots and blankets. The need for additional federal disaster aid to cover further response and recovery costs is currently being assessed.

Oklahoma also remains under a State of Emergency, as declared by Gov. Henry on Wednesday. The State of Emergency allows state agencies to make emergency purchases and acquisitions needed to expedite the delivery of resources to local jurisdictions. The executive order provides a formal mechanism for local governments to seek reimbursement for recovery costs through the state’s disaster public assistance program if conditions warrant.

Price gouging statute in effect

Oklahoma’s price gouging statute is in effect in all of Oklahoma’s 77 counties due to the State of Emergency.

The price gouging statute prohibits an increase of more than 10 percent in the price of most goods and services when a State of Emergency has been declared. Anyone who suspects price gouging is urged to contact the Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Unit at (405) 521-2029. 

For Oklahoma residents seeking non-emergency disaster or health and human service information, please contact your local 2-1-1. Services are available 24 hours a day by dialing 2-1-1 from your home or cellular telephone. 2-1-1 is a statewide service. Please only call 911 for emergencies.

Rain possible Thursday

Here is the National Weather Service’s forecast this week for Mustang.

Wednesday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a high near 49. Southeast wind between 6 and 9 mph.

Wednesday Night: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a low around 37. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Thursday: Rain likely. Cloudy, with a high near 44. Chance of precipitation is 60 percent.

Thursday Night: A 30 percent chance of rain. Cloudy, with a low around 37.

Friday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.

Friday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34.

Saturday: Mostly sunny, with a high near 46.

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy, with a low around 32.

Sunday: A 20 percent chance of rain. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 47.