No timeline for system-wide power restorations, Austin Energy says

Austin Energy says this is a complex situation, and there have been repeated outages, where ice and tree limbs cut off power that crews just restored.

AUSTIN, Texas - Austin Energy says there is no timeline for system-wide power restorations, after saying on Wednesday it could be restored by Friday evening.

Some people who do have electricity are concerned about power lines in dangerous spots.

Austin Energy says this is a complex situation, and there have been repeated outages, where ice and tree limbs cut off power that crews just restored.

One South Austin resident, Andrew Holmes, says there's a power line hanging off the side of his house. He still has electricity, but is worried about the hazard.

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Circuit breaks lit up the night sky during the ice storm as an estimated 265,000 Austin Energy customers lost power.

"It's dangerous, it's scary," he said. "We have a toddler, so we're trying to keep everybody safe and warm and also not electrocuted."

Another Austin Energy customer says a heavy tree limb is hanging on a "service drop," which carries electricity from city power lines to her home. She called 311 and was referred to the fire department, because it's a fire hazard given that she still has power.

AFD referred her back to Austin Energy because so far, it's not sparking. They have yet to send a crew out to remove the limb.

No response for Holmes either.

"We called Austin Energy, and they told us somebody would come out and 24-36 hours later we haven't heard back," he said.

"If they've reported it, and we have taken that report they are in the queue, and we are in the process of responding to that. It is in an area-wide emergency we're in right now. It's not going to be as quick sometimes as we would like," Austin Energy spokesperson Matt Mitchell said.

He says assume every power line is a live wire.

City officials gave an update Thursday evening. They say more than 100 crews are coming to help restoration.

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Austin and Travis County leaders talk about operational updates and recovery efforts as a result of the winter storm.

"Full restoration will take longer than initially anticipated. We understand that this makes an already challenging situation even more difficult," Jackie Sargent, general manager of Austin Energy, said.

"The problem is it's the ice and the weight... this isn't a veg[etation] management issue," Elton Richards, VP of Field Operations for Austin Energy, said.

District 6 Council Member Mackenzie Kelly criticized the city's response, saying in part, "[people] deserve to know when they can expect their lights and heat to be back on."

The mayor says City Council has an oversight committee for Austin Energy. There will be an after-action report as well.

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