News Releases

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (Mar 3, 2020) – In conjunction with Severe Weather Awareness Week, Evergy encourages its customers to be prepared ahead of inclement weather. With safety being a priority during severe weather, Evergy offers these electricity-specific tips so customers can be ready for storm season: 

• Monitor weather conditions in your area for potential storms. 
• Prepare an emergency kit. Stock it with fresh batteries, a battery-powered radio and flashlight.
• Unplug appliances and electric devices (televisions, computers, gaming consoles, phone chargers, etc.), in the event of a looming storm. According to the Department of Homeland Security, a lightning strike near an electric pole can cause a surge of electricity, far larger than the 169 volts of electricity a wall outlet generally can withstand.
• Don’t trust surge protectors. They’re meant to protect against small electrical grid surges, not the large surges that can happen during a lightning strike.
• Evergy offers surge protection, which covers up to $15,000 annually for all corded electronics and appliances.
• Whole-house surge protectors offer some protection for your devices during a storm as well. They’re intended to be installed on your home’s main electrical panel, but are more expensive than an outlet surge protector. 
• If indoors, avoid running water or using landline phones. Electricity can travel through plumbing and phone lines.
• If tree limbs are touching or near power lines, don’t come into contact with them. (Safety During Power Restoration). Downed trees are a primary cause of outages during storms.

Customers can report or confirm outages at evergy.com/outages. You can also keep track of outage via Evergy’s outage map. For more tips about storm preparedness, visit the Department of Homeland Security’s Ready.gov.

About Evergy, Inc.
Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG) serves approximately 1.6 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. We were formed in 2018 when long-term local energy providers KCP&L and Westar Energy merged. We generate nearly half the power we provide to homes and businesses with emission-free sources. We support our local communities where we live and work, and strive to meet the needs of customers through energy savings and innovative solutions. 

Media Contact: 
Gina Penzig 
Manager, External Communications 
Phone: 785-575-8089
Gina.Penzig@evergy.com
Media line :888-613-0003