Power Surges Wipe out Thousands of Dollars in Appliances

JACKSONVILLE — Residents of one Jacksonville-area neighborhood want answers. KETK reports they live just off Highway 135, northeast of town. They say recent storms have knocked out much more than just power: electronics completely fried when the power is restored after a storm. We’re talking TVs, microwaves, indoor heaters, surge-protectors, refrigerators — totaling thousands of dollars in losses and repairs. It’s happened to about half of the residents in that neighborhood.

The area’s electric provider, Oncor, says the cause of the power surge is extremely rare. Oncor says a tree falling on a power line, falling on another power line of a different voltage, is what caused the surge. They say it’s an act of God they cannot be held responsible for. Oncor’s George Hill says, “What we are doing proactively on that entire circuit is going out and patrolling to make sure. If we can see any dead tree limbs that need to be removed, we will take the action now to go ahead and remove those tree limbs. Hill added Oncor patrolling should start within the next week.