OKC Neighborhoods Feeling Better Prepared For Upcoming Ice Storm

Many neighborhoods feel better prepared for this upcoming ice storm compared to the last one at the end of 2015. That’s because companies like Oklahoma Gas and Electric, hired contractors to trim back trees that could fall on power lines.

“We had one here that they had to cut back so severely that we had to take it out,” said John Greer who lives in the Belle Isle neighborhood in NW OKC. “It hurts us deeply.”

Many of Greer’s other trees were significantly cut back.

“You are not going to have to worry as much perhaps about tree limbs hitting the lines and causing an outage,” said OG&E Spokesperson Kathleen O’Shea.

OG&E said at the very least, trimmed trees could help crews restore power faster.

In many neighborhoods after the November 2015 storm, including Belle Isle, power was out for a week.

News 9 learned that due to the 2015 ice storm, policy changes were made in Edmond.

“We do have crews going out and maintaining those lines much more than beforehand,” said City of Edmond Spokesman Casey Moore.

Neighbors like Greer said they understand the importance of trimmed trees, they just wish contractors wouldn’t have over cut.

“If I had it all to over again, I probably would have hired a company to trim them back a long time ago,” admitted Greer.

OG&E told News 9 it has 65 tree crews in town, and another 65 are expected Friday.