CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – As Hurricane Rita approaches the Texas Gulf Coast, electric customers on life support systems are reminded to make arrangements now in case of a prolonged power outage.

AEP Texas delivers electric power on the coast from Port Isabel to Matagorda, Texas. These areas are the most susceptible to power outages caused by violent tropical weather.

"We understand the special needs of residents who are on life support systems or who need uninterrupted electric service for health reasons," said Charles Patton, AEP Texas president and chief operating officer. "However, we have no control over what Mother Nature will decide to do during the course of a storm."

Patton advises residents with special needs to make arrangements to evacuate well in advance of an approaching storm to avoid power interruption.

"We have recalled our personnel restoring power in Louisiana and Mississippi and are making arrangements to call in additional personnel and equipment as needed. Once a storm passes and our restoration efforts begin, we will make every effort to get the lights back on as soon as safely possible," said Patton. "We will communicate through the media, our website (aeptexas.com) and call center about restoration progress."

AEP Texas, a unit of American Electric Power, delivers electricity to 850,000 homes, businesses and industries in south and west Texas. AEP Texas provides regulated energy delivery service to consumers, regardless of which Retail Electric Provider they choose. The region headquarters is in Corpus Christi.