CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Just as the cold front started to work its way thought the Coastal Bend Monday night, multiple power outages lit up the AEP outage map.
Around 6 p.m., almost 3,000 people were without power in Flour Bluff. That has since been repaired.
But that was just the beginning of what could be a long night for those power crews.
Omar Lopez with AEP Texas told 3NEWS that crews will be on call to respond to any reported outages.
"Whenever we see a weather event happening in Texas, we prepare days even weeks in advance, so for this particular event we've been watching this weather system for about 10 days now," Lopez said.
As with any weather system, AEP crews know strong winds could result in power lines dangling or on the ground, leaving some residents in the dark.
Lopez cautions families not to approach any live electrical lines.
"Remember that a downed power line is a dangerous power line," Lopez said. "Please always assume it's energized and stay away."
Certified arborist John Wood with the Tree Amigos said some residents might wake up to a few surprises in their yard and in the driveway, of course we're talking about tree branches of all sizes, so it's always best to plan ahead.
"Just kind of mediating some of those risks not trying to tackle it at one in the morning when the winds pick up," Wood said.
He encourages residents to move items out from under troublesome trees.
"Identify any targets in your yard of any value, anything you care about, and probably move those out of the way, and amend your lifestyle, might park the Porsche out of the way tonight," Wood said.
Wood said right now is a good time of year to get your trees inspected ahead of something else you can plan for, like severe weather season.
"Look for decay, fungal infections, wood pecker holes, some immediate indicators, you don't even have to be an arborist to kind of take a look at with your better judgment, you'll know there is a problem, or have someone like us come out and identify some of those things," Wood said.
Firefighters across the Coastal Bend are also on alert as red flag warnings are posted for counties from Bee down to Kleberg.
That means there is an elevated fire risk associated with these strong winds.
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