Evergy’s Update on Power Restoration Efforts

Kansas City, Mo. – Evergy issued a statement Sunday morning regarding its ongoing efforts to restore power in parts of Kansas City affected by severe overnight storms on Saturday.

Storm Impact

Storms commenced across Evergy’s service areas at approximately 7 p.m. on Saturday, with the most severe weather and resultant damage occurring later in the Kansas City metro, particularly in areas south of Interstate 70.

Cities such as Shawnee, Kansas City, Lee’s Summit, and Blue Springs experienced significant weather-related impacts, leading to approximately 140,000 customers losing power.

Cause of Outages

The outage’s primary cause was identified as a potential downburst, characterized by tornado-strength winds. Straight-line winds, reaching about 70 mph near the Interstate 70 corridor, persisted for approximately 10 minutes, exacerbating the situation.

Restoration Efforts

As of 3 p.m. Sunday, Evergy’s outage map indicated that over 45,000 customers remained without power. The company reported that over 50% of affected customers had their power restored by this time.

Crews initiated restoration efforts overnight, focusing on repairing main power lines in various neighborhoods. Simultaneously, damage assessment teams evaluated affected areas to coordinate cleanup operations and ensure proper equipment allocation for repairs.

Extended Restoration Timeline

Due to the extensive damage in certain parts of the Kansas City metro, Evergy cautioned that restoration efforts might extend over several days in specific areas.

Safety Precautions

The majority of outages resulted from the storm’s strong winds, necessitating the replacement and repair of numerous poles and power lines. Evergy emphasized safety, urging individuals to maintain a distance of at least 35 feet from downed power lines and tree limbs in contact with power lines. Removal of tree limbs or brush near or on these lines was discouraged, as they could still be energized.

Contact Information

For emergencies, individuals were advised to call 911. To obtain further information about the outages, Evergy recommended downloading their mobile app or visiting the outage map online. Additionally, contact centers were made available for inquiries:

• Kansas Central: (800) 544-4857
• Kansas Metro, Missouri Metro, and Missouri West: (888) 855-4852

For updates on weather alerts in the Kansas City region, residents were directed to NEWS.ORG 4.

Conclusion: Stay Informed and Safe

As restoration efforts continue, Evergy urged residents to prioritize safety and remain informed about ongoing developments. For real-time updates, residents are encouraged to download The Local News App to their phones.

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