SEVERE STORMS LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES IN SERVICE AREA

THIS INCLUDES STATUS AS OF 9:45 pm – IT WILL BE UPDATED WITH CURRENT NUMBERS THROUGHOUT THE RESTORATION PROCESS

CPS Energy crews are responding to power outages throughout our service area. Damaging winds along with heavy rain, hail and 3,400 lightning strikes have affected power to more than 57,000 customers as of 9:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 6, 2019. Currently, there are 673 outages affecting 51,004 customers.

“CPS Energy crews are working diligently to restore power for our customers this evening,” said Rudy Garza, Senior Vice President of Distribution Services & Operations for CPS Energy. “Strong winds backed by rainfall impacted our crews’ mobility and we are working safely to restore power to those impacted. We will continue to monitor the weather in our service area.”

CPS Energy shares the following information related to restoration efforts:

• 332 wires are down due to storm damage.
  • Please be safe around downed power lines, do not touch them.  Keep your family and pets away from any downed lines.
• CPS Energy has called in an additional 300 crew members to support a total of 500 dedicated team members who are going to work throughout the night to safely restore power and support our customers.
• While crews are working as quickly and as safely as possible, the outages will last multiple hours for some customers.
• Please be safe driving around our working crews.  Slow down around working crews to ensure everyone’s safety.

The combination of strong winds, in addition to heavy rain and lightning contributed to multiple challenges to ensure reliable service to the utility’s customers. Strong winds also caused tree limbs to hit and fall on power lines.

Crews must be careful with flooded areas and traffic, and they’re susceptible to the same restrictions as any other driver in San Antonio. Access to certain areas can be cumbersome due to fallen trees and other obstructions and they are working safely to restore power. For a complete map of current outages (remember to refresh for the latest updates) or answers to frequently asked questions, please click here.

Thunderstorms are frequent this time of year, and CPS Energy offers the following tips:

• Report your outage online with your smart phone or tablet, on Manage My Account or by calling (210) 353-HELP (4357). 
• Be prepared. Keep cell phones, flashlights, batteries and other important items available for an unexpected power outage. 
• Stay informed. Check our outage map and refresh for current outage updates. Also, follow our Facebook and Twitter pages for status updates. If possible, seek local TV or radio station weather reports. 
• Stay away from downed power lines and report them to CPS Energy. Do NOT attempt to move or drive over the lines. Even in an outage, power lines may still have electricity running through them. 
• If your home or business is flooded, never enter standing water unless you’re absolutely sure the main power has been shut off.
• Unplug electrical equipment such as stereos, TVs and computer equipment to help protect them from power surges during power restoration. 
• Keep the refrigerator door closed as much as possible. Refrigerated food should be safe for up to 4 hours. 
• If it looks like the power outage will be for more than 2-4 hours, pack perishable items (meat, poultry, fish, eggs, dairy products and leftovers) into a cooler surrounded by ice. 
• Discard any perishable foods that have been above 40 °F for more than 2 hours. Visit the U.S. Food & Drug Administration website to learn how to keep food safe at fda.gov.
• If your neighbors have power and you do not, check your breakers. 
  • Keep in mind that tripped breakers account for about 15% of our service calls.
• Motorists are asked to slow their speed and use caution through the affected areas when utility crews are out restoring power.

For additional safety tips, please visit cpsenergy.com and search safety.

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About CPS Energy

Established in 1860, CPS Energy is the nation’s largest public power, natural gas and electric company, providing safe, reliable, and competitively-priced service to 821,675 electric and 347,400 natural gas customers in San Antonio and portions of seven adjoining counties. Our customers’ combined energy bills rank among the lowest of the nation’s 20 largest cities – while generating $7 billion in revenue for the City of San Antonio for more than seven decades. As a trusted and strong Community partner, we continuously focus on job creation, economic development and educational investment. True to our People First philosophy, we are powered by our skilled workforce, whose commitment to the community is demonstrated through our employees’ volunteerism in giving back to our city and programs aimed at bringing value to our customers. CPS Energy is among the top public power wind energy buyers in the nation and number one in Texas for solar generation.