United in the Face of Historic Flooding
Over the Independence Day weekend, the skies over the Texas Hill Country fell, and PEC answered an unexpected call. A stalled weather system dumped more than 20 inches of rain in some areas, leading to flash flooding, rising rivers, and impassable roads — one of the largest flooding events the state of Texas has ever experienced.
“I was shocked when I woke up in the morning and saw the extent of it,” Marble Falls Regional Operations Director Sonny Ponce said.
PEC’s Junction area saw early signs of danger on July 4 and, by the next day, sustained around 2,000 outages. But Junction Regional Operations Director Craig Meador said they were fortunate that the storm’s core shifted.
“If that storm had been 15 miles west, Junction would have been under water,” Meador said.
Still, flooding north toward Mason and Menard left roads washed out and terrain too harsh for bucket trucks to move through. Crews in Junction and across the cooperative turned to all-terrain vehicles and climbed poles the old-fashioned way.
In modern linework, pole climbing isn’t a skill they’re called on to use daily, but thanks to thorough training, PEC’s apprentices and journeyworkers never missed a step.
Meador was grateful for how quickly he was able to get help from PEC’s technical services team, who sent him field technicians as soon as he asked.
When Regional Operations Director Brian Magott saw the catastrophe occurring in Kerr County, he feared what was moving toward Johnson City and Canyon Lake.
“We realized what was happening and heard about a 50-foot wall of water coming toward Comfort,” Magott said. “We identified river crossings and pole tags that could be washed out, and by mid-afternoon, we had crews stationed.”
On July 5, outages rose across our service territory, fueled by rainfall that reached 21 inches in Burnet County. Rivers and creeks swelled, and the Bertram and Liberty Hill areas experienced 157 sustained outages. Flooded rivers, submerged bridges, and rushing debris brought even more danger.
Rising waters threatened a substation in Leander, and PEC’s Distribution Operations Center (DOC) was forced to make the critical call to de-energize it to protect against arc flashes.
“At around 2:30 a.m., we already had crews experiencing difficulty traveling and even coming to work,” said Liberty Hill Regional Operations Director Troy Whitehead. “We had low water crossings that were flooding near the substation, and bridges were already being shut down.”
In Marble Falls, heavy rainfall led Hamilton Creek to flood where county roads 340 and 341 intersect.
“We had about 75 people that we couldn’t get back on for a while because the creek was a river,” Ponce said.
When the area just south of Burnet was hit, Ponce noted that the area was in total disrepair, and his crews had a lot of work to do after the flooding began to subside.
He grew nervous about the safety of his crews when waters began to rise over major roadways like Highway 281 in Marble Falls and Highway 1431 in Cedar Park.
“We had a journeyworker who was stranded because the water was over the road,” Ponce said. “I was worried about how we would get him back.”
Thankfully, the waters receded, and he was able to get away safely.
In the Cedar Park area, System Reliability and Emergency Preparedness Director Jason Murray said they experienced over 11 inches of rain in the Cow Creek area over 24 hours.
“It washed away the bridge there and traversing was extremely difficult,” Murray said. “After the floods, we saw debris fields up to 30 or 40 feet tall, which made restoration pretty tough.”
Once waters began to recede, crews could turn their attention to where help was needed most.
“In Bertram, outages were scattered across large areas,” Whitehead said. “Thankfully, we were able to send in additional crews to navigate through challenging conditions and restore power faster.”
PEC’s Distribution Operations Center (DOC) staff worked nonstop to dispatch crews and monitor conditions.
“In natural disaster situations, we don’t have the ability to give crews a heads-up on the destruction they might encounter,” DOC Supervisor Brianna Patteson said.
Thanks to constant communication, management and crews kept the DOC in the loop, helping to prioritize our response efforts and make informed decisions.
With roads under water and trucks tested by extreme conditions, PEC’s fleet team ensured crews had the vehicles they needed and stepped in fast when equipment failed. Our facilities team also stepped up, responding to calls for repairs at various offices.
In the hardest-hit areas, estimated restoration times couldn’t be determined due to impassable roads, but crews stayed focused. Because of the work done by our member relations and communications teams, members stayed informed.
From July 4-8, PEC handled more than 1,200 calls, covering issues from partial power and flickering lights to power outages and hazardous conditions. Communications shared regular social media updates and responded to member inquiries. A news release was issued explaining the delays and urging members to stay away from high waters and to report downed lines.
During this destructive flood, the PEC system fared well thanks to communication, teamwork, and preparation.
“During a storm like this, our crews are especially grateful for the investments PEC makes in our system to keep it reliable and resilient,” Magott said. “It was reassuring to know we could keep making progress on restoration even if we did lose a river crossing.”
Despite historic flooding, the heart of PEC — its people — remained steady and strong together.
