AEP Crews Untangle Power Line from Tree in Weslaco
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WESLACO – An 83-year-old Rio Grande Valley woman will be safe when storms roll in this week. An entangled wire was creating a number of fire and electrical hazards.
Weslaco resident Angelina Villarreal said she often relies on her neighbors and family to help her get out of her home. She suffered a hip injury a few years back.
“I hurt myself and can’t walk. I can only walk slowly,” she said.
Her neighbors pointed out a potential safety hazard in her backyard a year and a half ago. They told her a power wire was tangled in one of her trees.
“I didn’t know because the tree was too big,” she said.
The neighbors called AEP right away. They said nothing was done about the problem.
Her neighbors told us they were worried about the possibility of incoming storms. Villarreal said she wanted to see something done about the problem.
“That wire right there, there can be a strong wind. I’m alone and it can spark up,” she said.
CHANNEL 5 NEWS reached out to AEP Texas to see what can be done.
AEP Texas External Affairs manager Lee Jones said he still sent a crew to look at it although the company cannot trim a tree on private property.
“Safety is very important to AEP. The safety of our employees and all of our customers is extremely important,” he said.
Jones said part of the tree appeared to have grown over the tangled wire. He said crews worked to cut down the tree limbs and untangle the wire.
“The way the line was routed, it was going to a tree that had grown up and really entangled it. And, so our crews found an alternate path to the house and just rerouted the service drop,” he said.
Jones said AEP crews moved quickly on the case since a storm could take down the tree or branch, and the wire along with it.
Anyone with a power line issue can call AEP Texas at 877-373-4858 and report it. They can also report concerns online at AEPTexas.com.
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