By Robert Medley
Managing Editor
Historic low temperatures and heavy snowfall caused damage across Canadian County from broken pipes to vehicle wrecks.
People in the county can report any damage to property and losses of livestock to be eligible for federal aid, county and state officials report.
Water woes during the storm were reported in the City of El Reno. There was a problem with water at the Canadian County Jail and at the county offices. A number of inmates had to be housed at other facilities.
Assessments of other damage continues this week, and businesses and individuals can report all winter storm damage so as to qualify for individual assistance by meeting minimum damage amounts.
Andrew Skidmore, Canadian County Emergency Management director, said assessment from the winter storm damage is continuing. He said vaccine clinics were disrupted and many appointments postponed.
The widespread power outages of the late October ice storms were not as much of a problem in Canadian County with the recent freezing temperatures of the last two weeks with more than 10 inches of snow.
There were rolling blackouts that caused temporary outages.
El Reno’s water system was interrupted and people lost water after a rolling blackout.
Gov. Kevin Stitt on Thursday, Feb. 18 announced that all 77 Oklahoma counties have been declared disaster areas due to the winter storm.
County and state residents affected can document and report damage sustained from flooding from broken pipes, power surges that caused damage to furnaces, electrical systems or major appliances, number of days without utilities, number of days displaced, and any injuries sustained as a result of the winter storm.
State officials are asking that all damage be reported to damage.ok.gov.
Jimmy Seago, Oklahoma Rural Water Authority CEO, said all damage sustained from the storms must be reported.
“It is critical for us to provide a thorough and accurate assessment of all damage so we can qualify for the proper level of federal assistance as we look ahead when restoring and rebuilding our state’s water and wastewater infrastructure,” Seago stated in a news release
Oklahoma officials request that damage reports be submitted through a mobile app
The information required to submit a report includes pictures and/or short video clips of the damage. This must have GPS coordinates, which the survey app does automatically. Full insurance policy for the jurisdiction, including the schedule of values and declarations page.
For public works water main breaks, submit a system data sheet showing when the break occurred indicating a drop in water pressure along with water line size estimates.
All damage can be reported at damage.ok.gov.
For 2021 livestock losses, ranchers can visit the USDA website or call the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry at (405) 742-1130.
