About 125,000 Oncor customers were without power Friday in the Dallas area, down from the nearly half a million who were without power earlier in the week after severe storms hit the metroplex.
The company posted Friday on X, formerly known as Twitter, that Oncor teams are continuing restoration efforts and urged residents to be cautious of debris and downed power lines.
The company also posted an update on their digital outage map, saying “Heavy rain, thunder, lightning and flooding are impacting several of the communities where Oncor teams are working to restore these outages.” Earlier in the week, Dallas County Judge Clay Lewis Jenkins said restoration efforts could take multiple days.
With outages ongoing, The Dallas Morning News asked Dallas-Fort Worth residents for their tips on how they’re coping. We gathered the best of those replies for you here.
If you’re unable to purchase a generator, many respondents suggested battery packs or solar-charged battery packs.
“As others have said, battery packs. I also have some battery-powered light bulbs with little hooks for camping that I got during a week long outage I had last year I hung from my fans to give a resemblance of overhead lighting,” one Reddit user recommended.
They also suggested prepping critical supplies for extended outages in advance.
“Someone on here a couple of days ago had a great idea of having a survival bag ready (flashlights, power brick and other essentials for outages),” a commenter said.
To preserve food, users recommended dry ice, frozen water bottles, and keeping the refrigerator sealed.
For some who are fond of camping or frequent the outdoors, surviving without electricity has been less of a burden.
“I am an avid outdoors person. I am keeping my food in my cooler. Windows open for AC. Keeping my phone charged via my array of external batteries. Cooking on my Coleman camping stove. Reading books. I’m all good,” one Reddit user said.