Storm Recovery Update: Emergency Operations Plan Concluded
Big Country Electric Cooperative (BCEC) officially exited its Emergency Operations Plan (EOP) at 3:25 PM on June 13, 2025, following five days of intensive storm recovery efforts across the cooperative’s service territory. As of Friday afternoon, power has been restored to all residential members affected by the severe storms that swept through the area earlier in the week.
Crews confirmed a total of 173 downed poles in the Roby District alone as a result of the June 8 storm. As of the latest update, 28 meters remain without power — all of which are non-residential services, including irrigation systems, water wells, and oil field operations. Crews will return Monday morning to replace the final 27 poles and complete restoration to these locations.
Throughout the weekend, BCEC crews will remain on call in the Roby Service District to respond to critical and emergency-related outages. Non-emergency outages reported in that district will be addressed during normal working hours next week. Specifically, outages affecting irrigation systems, water wells, oil field operations and non-emergency services will not be addressed during after-hours callouts at this time. Stamford and Snyder districts will continue to operate as usual for any outages reported.
“We understand these services are important, and we will address any remaining issues during normal working hours,” said Will Duniven, Vice President of Operations. “This temporary measure allows our linemen — who’ve been on the front lines throughout this storm — to rest and recover, while ensuring we remain ready for any true emergencies that may arise.”
BCEC encourages members to continue reporting outages through SmartHub or by calling 1-855-940-3872.
“We want to thank Concho Valley Electric Cooperative and Primary Utility Services for their help in this week’s restoration efforts, and our members for the outstanding support we’ve received,” said Krysha Burleson, Communications Specialist. “We understand how difficult it is to be without electricity for extended periods, and we’re grateful to serve a community that not only understands but supports its cooperative every step of the way.”
It truly takes a community, and we are proud to serve you.
Friday Morning Update – June 13
Happy Friday, everyone! We’ve got some positive news to start the day.
Concho Valley Electric Cooperative worked late into the night, setting poles and running wire to help get more members south of Roby back on. Primary Utility crews and BCEC’s Snyder crew were also out late in the northeast Roby/south of Rotan area, restoring even more residential meters.
As of this morning, we’re down to just 65 meters without power — and about half of those are residential. Today’s focus is using all available resources to get the remaining residential meters restored.
They say it takes a village — and we want to take a moment to recognize ours:
- Mark Mauldin with Roby Automotive helped us fix equipment on the fly this week when things went down.
- Tanner Park helped our contractor crews get unstuck yesterday, which allowed them to restore a major section of northeast Roby.
- Jade Crawford dropped off dozens of donuts for the crews this morning.
- Austin Coker and Roger Blackwelder had equipment prepped and ready for us to use if needed throughout the week.
- And a HUGE thank-you to Concho Valley EC, who is headed back to San Angelo this morning — we’re so grateful for our sister co-op’s support.
And lastly (but certainly not least), a big thank you to YOU, our members. We’re so appreciative of the encouragement, love, and support you’ve shown throughout this week.
We’ll be back later with a progress update!
Thursday, June 12 - 9:45 PM Update:
We’re ending the day with 142 meters still without power — progress, even if not as much as we’d hoped. Crews spent the day working in some of the hardest-hit and muddiest areas of our service territory, where the saturated ground slowed access and restoration. Even so, we saw several restoration wins and laid the groundwork to tackle and hopefully finish the larger jobs tomorrow.
This evening, we restored power in some areas northeast of Rotan, west of Nienda, in sections south of FM 610 and Hwy 70, some of south Roby, restored some of the residences on CR 208, and in areas northeast of McCaulley.
Tomorrow, crews will return to several areas — including north and northeast Roby, the rest of south Roby, the rest of northeast Rotan, and east of Longworth. The muddy conditions are making these final stretches of work slower than we’d like, but our focus will be on completing the major pole replacements and line rebuilds started today, and continuing to chip away at the remaining outages.
Thank you again for your patience, encouragement, and support. You’ve helped lift our team through a long, muddy week!
Thursday, June 12, 4:15 PM Update:
Crews from BCEC, Primary Utility, and Concho Valley Electric Cooperative gathered at our yard this morning to launch another full day of storm restoration. With a dozen crews rotating through for job assignments and materials, our warehouse team coordinated a smooth, wave-based loading process to keep everything organized and moving safely.
Even with the sunshine today, muddy terrain continues to be a challenge — but all crews are pushing forward (sometimes after needing a rescue from the mud). We’ve now confirmed over 170 downed poles in the Roby District area; more have been discovered each day as we gain access to harder-hit zones.
Here’s a look at today’s progress:
- Power restored to CR 216 off North Hwy 180
- Power restored on CR 111, southeast of Roby, all the way to Hwy 57
- Crews cleared poles off CR 282 and CR 279 west of Nienda, making roads passable and began restoration work in those areas
- We’ve restored most of the meters on CR 152 west of FM 1085
We also want to take a second to shoutout to two folks who’ve helped us keep things rolling:
Elliot Air Conditioning — One of our ice makers went down yesterday, and they got it fixed up in a flash to help keep our crews hydrated!
Stormy Raspberry — Stormy came to the rescue today and got our compact track loader back on "track" after some technical difficulties with it.
We’re down to 153 meters still without power and will keep working away at restoring the power. We know this week hasn’t been easy, and we just want to say how much it means to have your continued support.
Wednesday, June 11, 2025, 8:30 PM Update:
As of this evening, we’re down to approximately 192 meters without power, compared to more than 1,500 earlier this week.
Today’s Restoration Highlights:
- Energized everything up from Hwy 180 through North Royston
- Restored along Hwy 70 from Longworth to Roby and areas southeast of Roby
- Celotex area to the Hamlin Golf Course
- Residences near the intersection of CR 106 and FM 1085
- Portions of North Sylvester
- Areas east of Longworth
- Lawless Flats south of Hwy 180 along FM 1812
- Several homes along FM 1085 south of Sylvester
Thursday’s Restoration Plan:
We’re bringing in additional contractor support tomorrow and expect to have 13 total crews in the field. Teams will continue working through the remaining areas and addressing both large and scattered outages.
Crews will focus on:
- Areas north, south, and east of Roby
- Areas north and east of Rotan
- West of Nienda and east of McCaulley
- Continued efforts further east of Longworth — where they’ll be working in tandem with Oncor as they continue repairing significant transmission damage
We’re getting closer each day, and we couldn’t have made it this far without the patience, support, and encouragement from our members. Your kind words have meant a great deal to every department at BCEC — and they continue to fuel the long hours and hard work from our crews! We’ll be back with more updates tomorrow.
Restoration Update – June 10, 2025 | 9:00 PM
First and foremost, thank you. The kind, encouraging comments and messages we’ve received from our members have truly meant the world to our team. Whether they’re in the field or in the office, every department at BCEC sees your support — and your graciousness fuels the hard work ahead. Storms like these remind us how tough Mother Nature can be, but they also highlight the strength of the community we’re proud to serve.
Today’s Progress:
We began this morning with approximately 1,530 meters without power. As of this evening, that number is down to 652 meters. While there’s still a long road ahead, we’re making steady progress — and every energized meter is a step closer to full restoration. AEP and Oncor continue to work on transmission outages, which impact some of our substations and restoration efforts. These upstream issues remain outside of our control, but we’re coordinating closely with those teams and are grateful for their support.
Areas Restored Today:
- Portions of Sylvester Feeders 1 & 2, including areas south toward Newman Cemetery and north to Neinda.
- Restored power along Hwy 180 west of FM 1812 toward Royston Highway.
- Energized line from Capitola to Hwy 70, west of the Longworth substation.
- Power restored west of Rotan, including areas near Rough Creek and Riverdale.
Restoration Plan for Wednesday, June 11:
- Primary Utility crews will continue work on the Longworth double circuit and begin repairs west and along FM 1085, just south of Hwy 180.
- Roby crews will focus on completing work near Lawless Flats, targeting the south circuit out of Sylvester.
- Snyder crews likely be working south of Rotan.
The forecast calls for more rain tonight and tomorrow, which will inevitably add to the challenge — especially in already flooded and muddy areas. We appreciate your continued patience as we work through these conditions safely. Please prepare for the possibility of extended outages if you're still without power. If your home isn't safe or comfortable without electricity, consider making arrangements with friends, family, or a local shelter.
We’re proud to serve you — and we’re not stopping until the lights are back on.
Tuesday, June 10th, 12:45 PM Update:
Thank you again to all of our members for your continued patience and heartfelt support as restoration efforts continue across our service territory.
We received another couple of inches of rain overnight — not enough to cause additional damage, thankfully, but it’s added to the already flooded and muddy conditions our crews are navigating.
Early this morning, crews from BCEC, Primary Utility, and Concho Valley Electric Cooperative gathered for a full debrief and laid out today’s restoration game plan, based on the damage assessments completed yesterday. We’re thankful to have these hardworking teams in the field today, along with help from our warehouse crew, who got everyone loaded and on the road early.
Several truckloads of materials arrived yesterday, and we have three more delivering today — all ordered and coordinated as quickly as possible to keep repairs moving.
We also want to recognize the incredible support from AEP and Oncor lineworkers. AEP alone had about 76 poles downed, including roughly 40 transmission structures — and damage to those upstream systems may continue to impact some of our outages. Their crews are working tirelessly to rebuild, and we’re grateful for their partnership in getting the lights back on.
Please know that we cannot guarantee everyone will have power restored today. If you need to make alternate arrangements — such as relocating perishable food or staying with friends, family, or at a local shelter — we encourage you to do so. We know freezers can only keep things frozen for so long, and we don’t want to make an already difficult situation even harder for our members.
We’re truly sorry for the continued inconvenience, and we’re hopeful to make strong progress today — let’s all hope for a little sunshine to help dry things out.
We’ll continue sharing updates throughout the day.
Update – June 9, 2025 | 6:00 PM
We want to thank all of our members for your continued patience, kind words, and well wishes as our team works to restore power following this weekend’s severe storms.
Please be prepared for the possibility of extended outages tonight. If your home is not safe or comfortable without power, we encourage you to make arrangements with friends, family, or a local shelter. Your safety is our top priority.
As of this evening, we’ve confirmed over 140 downed poles in the Roby District service area and nearly 20 more in the Stamford District. Crews continue to uncover new damage as floodwaters recede and access improves.
Unfortunately, the forecast calls for more rain overnight and into tomorrow, which may impact progress. However, based on today’s assessments, here’s the restoration game plan for Tuesday, June 10, beginning at 6:00 AM:
- Two Primary Utility contracted crews will team up to clear downed poles around the Longworth area. A third Primary crew will begin repairs on the main dual-circuit feeder coming out of Longworth. This work is expected to restore power to members south and east of Roby, including the Royston and Longworth Gin areas.
- Concho Valley Electric Co-op crews will begin work on Rotan Feeder 1 (serving areas west and north of Rotan and Rough Creek), then move to Sylvester Feeder 2 (serving Hwy 180, Neinda, and areas south of Plasterco). Some portions of the Plasterco area will likely remain without power through most of the day as crews prioritize restoration in the most densely populated residential areas.
- BCEC crews will tackle scattered issues system-wide, including broken arms, downed phases, and isolated outages. These efforts help ensure that members further down the line are restored once major feeder repairs are complete.
It’s important to note that some outages are due to damage to transmission structures owned by AEP and Oncor, which deliver power to several BCEC substations. Restoration in those areas depends on upstream repairs being completed first.
We sincerely apologize for the extended outages and understand how difficult this is — especially with the heat and more storms in the forecast. Please know that our team is doing everything possible to restore service safely, efficiently, and as quickly as conditions allow.
To report an outage, use SmartHub or call 1-855-940-3872. Always assume downed lines are energized and dangerous. Stay far away and report immediately.
We’ll provide another update around midday tomorrow on our progress. If tonight’s storms cause new damage, we’ll share any major changes to the plan first thing in the morning.
Update – June 9, 2025 | 11:45 AM
Big Country Electric Cooperative has activated its Emergency Operations Plan following significant storm damage and widespread outages across our service territory. Between 90 and 100 downed poles have been confirmed, and approximately 1,700 meters remain without power as of this update. Many areas are still inaccessible due to flooding, and more damage is expected to be discovered throughout the day.
Crew line patrols are still ongoing to assess the full scope of the damage and guide restoration priorities. Restoration will take time, especially in remote or severely affected areas. To ensure safety and avoid exhaustion, BCEC line crews who worked through the night will be sent to rest at 4:00 PM today. Restoration efforts will resume at 6:00 AM Tuesday and continue daily from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM until all outages are restored. Other BCEC employees will remain in the field to continue assessment work and prepare for the next phases of restoration.
In some cases, restoration is delayed by upstream transmission damage from AEP and Oncor, which deliver power to several BCEC substations. Those areas cannot be restored until upstream issues are resolved.
We continue to appreciate your patience and understanding as our crews work as quickly and safely as possible. You can read the full press release here.
Severe Storms Cause Widespread Damage Across BCEC Service Territory
6/9/2025 at 9:00AM
Overnight storms caused widespread damage to Big Country Electric Cooperative’s electric system, leaving many members without power. Nearly every corner of our service territory was affected, with damage ranging from broken poles and downed lines to difficult-to-access areas.
As of Monday morning, BCEC crews had confirmed more than 70 downed poles, and that number continues to grow as daylight allows for additional assessment. Our linemen worked through the night and continue working today, focusing first on assessing damage and restoring power where it is safe and feasible. At this time, we do not have an estimated timeline for full restoration.
Our Engineering and Operations teams are actively assessing the full scope of the damage and are developing a strategic restoration plan. Additional contract crews are on the way to assist with the process. However, due to the widespread nature of the damage, full restoration will take time.
Please remember that it also takes time to replace poles and deliver materials to some of the harder-to-access locations — especially with flooding and muddy terrain still impacting many roads and rights-of-way. We sincerely appreciate your patience as we work through these challenges safely and efficiently.
Safety First: Please Stay Clear of Downed Lines
For your safety, please remember to stay clear of downed power lines and damaged electrical equipment. Always assume any line is energized and dangerous. If you see a hazardous situation, please report it immediately by calling our office at 1-855-940-3872.
Report Your Outage
If you are without power, please be sure to report your outage — even if you believe it has already been logged. This helps our team accurately track damage and make informed decisions about where to dispatch crews.
- Report via SmartHub: bigcountry.smarthub.coop/ui
- Call us: 1-855-940-3872
How Power Restoration Works
During large-scale outages, BCEC prioritizes restoration to ensure the greatest number of members are brought back online as quickly as possible. Transmission lines and substations that serve large areas are restored first, followed by major feeders and then individual lines and homes. We understand how frustrating outages can be, and we promise that every member matters. We are working as quickly — and as safely — as possible.
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Current Outage Snapshot
As of 7:30 a.m. today, the map below reflects confirmed outages across our system. More reports are expected as members notify us and as crews gain access to rural areas.
We Appreciate Your Patience
We know going without power is inconvenient, and we sincerely apologize for the disruption. Please know that your BCEC team is doing everything in our power to restore electricity to every member as safely and efficiently as possible.
We’ll continue sharing updates throughout the day on our Facebook page and right here on our website. Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we work through this together.