[Northkeep] Found This This Morning

[Blak Hawk]

http://kotv.com/news/topstory/?id=141667

Operation Power Up! Hotline Established KOTV - 12/17/2007 5:10 PM - Updated
12/18/2007 8:59 AM

PSO crews have been scrambling for days to repair power lines, but
homeowners might have to hire an electrician to get them the rest of the
way. PSO is only responsible for the wires up to your weather head. The News
On 6's Steve Berg reports a lot of people don't know what a weather head is.

Electrician Phillip Lopez says the demand for electrical service is bolting
past supply.

"Last Monday and Tuesday, it was a rat race, just running everywhere trying
to pick up things," said Lopez.

The News On 6 caught up with Lopez and fellow electrician Wayne Miller as
they were installing a new weather head and riser at a house in East Tulsa.

"The weather head would be what we just attached up there," said Lopez.
"Basically what it sounds like. It's a weather head, protects it from the
weather, the wire ya know."

Sounds easy enough, but not easy to find. The city with federal emergency
funds has set up a supply depot at the Fairgrounds inside the QuikTrip Expo
Center. People who can show they're a licensed contractor do not have to
reimburse the city for the supplies.

"A lot of these houses use the same common material. Some of it's still kind
of hard to find, but we're getting it as it comes in," said Miller.

Lopez and Miller traveled all the way from Pryor to work. They say they
rarely did residential work in Tulsa in the past.

"Really busy. We're staying busy constantly," said Lopez.

The City of Tulsa is still requiring contractors to go through the usual
permitting process when the job is complete and the fee is still the same.

Starting Tuesday, all homeowners will be able to take advantage of the
Operation Power Up! Hotline by calling 1-866-789-8898 from 7:00 a.m. to 7
p.m. The purpose is to identify weather heads that need to be repaired.