Several states were plagued with power outages over the weekend after intense wind and heat damaged power infrastructure.
Oklahoma received the brunt of the damage. According to the National Weather Service, heavy storms in the Tulsa area saw 80 mph winds Saturday that knocked out hundreds of telephone poles. Around 165,000 customers were without power in Tulsa alone.
According to city officials, at least one person, who relied on electric medical equipment, died.
Powerful winds reached other states such as Louisiana and Texas. Overall, the storms left 300,000 without power, according to PowerOutage.us.
The outages were especially dangerous in Texas, where a heat wave has pushed average temperatures into the triple digits. Thousands of people were without power for several days and resorted to sitting in cold baths to prevent heatstroke.
• Vaughn Cockayne can be reached at vcockayne@washingtontimes.com.
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