News Releases

KANSAS CITY, Mo. (May 4, 2020) – Thunderstorms with strong winds and hail swept across Kansas and Missouri on Monday and caused more than 30,000 Evergy customers to lose power. While power has been restored to more than half of the affected customers, some restoration estimates in Kansas City, Topeka and Abilene will push into Tuesday. 

Communities with the most customers still without power are Grandview (1,720 customers affected), Belton (1,413), Topeka (944), Garden City, Mo. (783) and Kansas City, Mo. (779). Outages were caused by strong wind gusts, which knocked down more than 120 power lines throughout the region – including one on I-70 near Manhattan, Kan., which caused reroutes on the Interstate. Crews worked to have I-70 operational by 6 p.m. Downed lines included both distribution and transmission lines. 

Evergy crews began repairs Monday morning and will continue working until power is restored to all customers. Evergy is following guidelines of maintaining six feet of space for our employees. Crews are scheduled so that the same crew members work together each day to reduce potential the spread of the virus. We ask that customers not approach our crews in the field.

In cases where hardware attaching the electric meter to a customer’s home or business was damaged, a licensed electrician may be needed to make repairs for power to be safely restored. 

Outages can be reported at www.evergy.com. Customers in the Evergy Kansas Central area can report outages at 1-800-LIGHTKS (1-800-544-4857). Customers in Evergy Kansas Metro, Missouri Metro and Missouri West services areas may report outages by calling 1-888-LIGHTKC(1-888-544-4852). 

If a downed power line falls on your vehicle while you’re in it, stay in your car and wait for help. You are safe as long as you remain in your vehicle. If you see a downed power line, keep at least 10 feet away from it and report the incident to 911 or Evergy. If a branch or other object is in contact with a power line, do not attempt to remove it.

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