Strong, gusting winds whipped into Central Texas on Monday, February 25, causing headaches, property damage, and power outages. Gusts of more than 50 miles per hour have been reported. By noon, streets were sprinkled with branches and far-flung trash cans.
Power began flickering on and off after noon and the south end of Blanco county lost power. By 2pm, Pedernales Electric crews were reportedly on site and assessing the situation, including the dangerous situation caused by the winds. While PEC crews patrolled the transmission line, the cooperative was also working to reroute power to the affected members. After 3pm, power was restored to the northern part of the city of Blanco. PEC worked to re-energize the Blanco substation and power was completely restored, including to all the businesses on the square, by 6:45pm.
At the peak of the outages, 10,000 PEC members were without power throughout the service area, PEC spokesperson Anne Harvey reported.
Verizon technicians worked to repair downed phone lines, including one that had fallen onto 4th Street at Cherry and another that was hanging low over 962 East in the north end of the county.
The Blanco Volunteer Fire Department blocked off Pecan Street from 4th Street to the middle of the 500 block as a safety precaution. Gusts pulled sheet metal from the roof of the old lumber warehouse behind the post office but none came loose. The fire department was able to secure the roof and re-open the street.
The mayor has called for free brush disposal. The City of Blanco is offering free brush disposal through Friday, March 10. Brush disposal is normally $5 per load. You must come by City Hall to obtain a key to the brush disposal site.
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