STORMS LEAD TO POWER OUTAGES FOR CPS ENERGY CUSTOMERS
CPS Energy crews are actively working on restoring power to homes and businesses following severe rain. Winds along with rain, is affecting power to more than 17,000 customers at 3:35 p.m. today. The utility monitors weather conditions allowing crews to quickly respond to our community.
“Our crews will work until everyone affected has their power restored,” said Rudy Garza, Senior Vice President of Distribution Services & Operations for CPS Energy. “I want our community to know that we have crews that take pride in what they do and their goal right now is to get the lights back on for those impacted.”
The utility says 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 sites 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 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.