Thousands without power in Kansas City metro after storms damage Evergy network
High winds and thunderstorms tore through the utility company Evergy’s network on Wednesday, causing power outages for nearly 200,000 customers — including 28,000 in the Kansas City area — that could be out for several days in some places.
Power lines and utility poles were down across the company’s network following thunderstorms and intensely strong winds that swept across Kansas and Missouri.
The company was still working Wednesday night to fully assess the damage done, said Chuck Caisley, Evergy’s chief customer officer.
“We will not get everybody back on tonight. We will not be able to get everybody back on tomorrow,” said Caisley, speaking to reporters via Zoom. “This outage is going to extend in some areas into multiple days as the amount of damage would just be impossible to get done in a 24-hour period.”
Winds reached as high as 85 mph in some areas along with large hail and tornadic activity. In all, Caisley said the storms caused “some of the most widespread damage across our service territory that Evergy has ever seen.”
Power outages were felt across the entire network, which covers much of Kansas and all of Kansas City. Other hard-hit areas included Salina, where 25,000 lost power, and St. Joseph, with 27,000.
As of Wednesday night, Caisley said roughly 1,100 people were actively working on the restoration effort. The company has also requested assistance from other utility providers.
This story was originally published December 15, 2021 at 9:59 PM.
