Some without power in Brazos Valley may have to wait weeks

By HOLLY HUFFMAN

holly.huffman@theeagle.com

Sitting nearly 150 miles inland, Jennifer Ogg said she simply wasn't prepared. No one was.

Madison County has experienced power outages before, said Ogg, who works at First Baptist Church in Madisonville. Residents in the East Texas county have gone days without power, she said.

But even as Hurricane Ike closed in on the coastline and meteorologists predicted that the catastrophic storm would barrel across the state, no one expected power outages that could last weeks, Ogg said.

"It's been very calm, and [people are in] very good spirits, believe it or not," said Ogg, who drives daily to Madison County from her home in Carlos. "I think there was kind of a spirit of shock because we've just never experienced this."

On Tuesday, Madison County residents -- like many of their counterparts across the Brazos Valley and in southeastern Texas -- were preparing for a fifth day without electricity.

Nearly all of Madison and Grimes counties and large portions of Robertson and Burleson counties remained dark Monday. Washington, Leon and Milam counties also reported power outages, though on a much smaller scale. The majority of Brazos Valley residents who remained without power were customers of Entergy. The power company has reported catastrophic damages and said it could be several weeks before power is restored to all customers.

According to the Entergy Web site, 16,776 Brazos Valley customers remained without power Tuesday. Almost half were from Grimes County, one-quarter from Madison County. Restoration updates that were posted online predicted that all repairs would be complete for Navasota by Monday and for Madisonville by Sept. 29.

Navasota spokeswoman Kourtney Gruner said emergency management officials had been told that 80 percent of residents could have power restored by Thursday. Residents, however, remained under a water conservation order, and city officials threatened fines up to $2,000 for violators.

Gruner noted that emergency management officials had been told that the state had run out of ice and that no more shipments would be made. Ice, however, still is available to Navasota residents because the city contracted with a private company before the storm to ensure that residents would have enough, she said.

"We're just waiting on the power," Gruner said.

Madison County Emergency Management Coordinator Shelly Butts said limited areas powered by Mid-South Synergy and Houston County Electric Cooperative already had power back. But much of the county was powered by Entergy.

About half of Madison County Entergy customers were expected to get power back by Thursday, 80 percent by Monday.

The county has received ice and water, though supplies are running low and officials have been told that no more resources will be delivered.

"It's OK. A community should be self-sufficient for a number of days," Butts said, explaining that supplies were being distributed almost as quickly as they were delivered. "It's just this number exceeds what we thought it would be."

A Baptist men's group is serving meals twice a day -- at noon and 6 p.m. -- at the Madison County Fairgrounds. Fire departments in North Zulch and Midway also will be feeding people to help residents avoid the drive and conserve fuel.

"Fuel is a big issue over here. If you don't have to drive anywhere, please don't drive," Butts said, explaining that gas couldn't be pumped at stations across the county because of the power outage. "We have no means of providing them fuel once they get stranded on the road."

The county isn't accepting donations, but Butts encouraged neighbors to help one another. Rather than allowing food to go bad, some residents grilled all the food in their freezers and then hosted neighborhood block parties. Butts said she also had heard of two neighbors -- one with a gas stove and the other with a gas water heater -- trading hot meals and hot showers.

Communication has been one of the biggest problems, Ogg said, but that isn't much when considering what residents of Houston and Galveston have faced this week.

"Really, most of us consider ourselves to be blessed," Ogg said.

It remained unclear when Leon County residents along the eastern edge of the county as well as those living in Normangee would have power restored.

Emergency Management Coordinator Pat Bell said Normangee was powered by Entergy, so it could be several weeks before electricity is restored to the town. Residents along the eastern edge of the county have a different provider and could be back up by the end of next week.

Officials were working to connect generators to the Normangee water supply and hoped the system would be running by Wednesday. Free ice and water provided by the state still is being passed out at the Centerville town square.

About 35 evacuees who fled their homes along the coast remained in shelters Tuesday in Leon County, Bell said.

"It's emptying out. They're all wanting to go home. Regardless of what's there, they want to go," Bell said. "I don't blame them."

In Washington County, power was restored, with the exception of the Old Washington area, which also receives its power from Entergy.

Washington County Emergency Management Coordinator Robert Smith said the county had joined forces with Brenham to ensure that residents had plenty of ice and water. A load was delivered Monday and another was scheduled, he said.

Traffic along county roads and highways also appears to be thinning as gas stations and stores in the Houston area reopen, he said.

Within Burleson County, Somerville, Caldwell and surrounding rural areas were the hardest hit. Entergy reported 1,907 customers in the county without power. It remained unclear when the power there might be restored.

Emergency management officials said they had requested water, ice and military meals, but they had yet to be delivered. Until then, a Baptist men's group would be bringing in food for residents in need.

Anyone with water, ice and food to donate is asked to call the Burleson County Emergency Operations Center at 567-1572.

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Posted by: On: 9/17/2008

Comment Title: North Zulch Area Still in Need from Ike's wrath
Madison County, please help your North Zulch families. This small community is suffering in ways that seems to be unnoticed by those offering "official" assistance. Yes, neighbors are helping neighbors and the Fire Dept is doing all that it can...but when you are down yourself, it is hard to help others. Many in North Zulch do not have power and many do not have food. Please help those who cannot help themselves right now. Contact the Fire Dept or local churches and see what you can do. Be a blessing and you will receive one.

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