News Releases

KANSAS CITY, MO – January 4, 2024 – Overnight storm-related outages began impacting Evergy customers and crews responded right away. With about 100,000 customers losing power during the storm, we have restored power to over 60,000. As of 1 p.m., about 35,000 customers are still without power.

The hardest hit parts of Evergy’s service area are:

• Kansas City metro, especially in the southern areas
• Wichita metro
• Hutchinson
• Ottawa

The primary cause is high winds in excess of 50 miles per hour. Other poor conditions like snow-packed and slick roads, and low visibility are slowing restoration efforts.  

Evergy currently has 1,500 linemen working on storm restoration, including crews from Liberty Utilities, which serves parts of southeast Kansas and southwest Missouri. Crews from communities that had less impact from the storm are assisting in areas with higher numbers of outages.

Estimates for having power restored to all customers are not yet available because snow and windy conditions, which are causing new outages, are still active in much of the service area and will extend into tonight. Crews are assigned to outages impacting about half the customers who are still without power.  

An example of the challenges caused by the high winds is galloping transmission and distribution lines. This occurs when strong winds cause the power lines to “jump.” You can see video here. Galloping lines cause power outages, damage equipment and are dangerous for our crews to work around, especially in conditions like today where blowing snow creates already low visibility in the field.

Customers can report outages by downloading the Evergy app, going to the Evergy website, or calling 800-LIGHT-KS (800) 544-4857 in Kansas, or 888-LIGHT-KC (888) 544-4852 in Missouri.

People may see Evergy cars and trucks in neighborhoods assessing damage so that line crews have the needed equipment when they arrive. Please let the crews work safely so they can restore power.  

About Evergy, Inc. 
Evergy, Inc. (NASDAQ: EVRG), serves 1.7 million customers in Kansas and Missouri. Evergy’s mission is to empower a better future. Our focus remains on producing, transmitting and delivering reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for the benefit of our stakeholders. Today, about half of Evergy’s power comes from carbon-free sources, creating more reliable energy with less impact to the environment. We value innovation and adaptability to give our customers better ways to manage their energy use, to create a safe, diverse and inclusive workplace for our employees, and to add value for our investors. Headquartered in Kansas City, our employees are active members of the communities we serve. 

Media Contact:     
Courtney Lewis       
Sr. Manager, Communications     
Phone: 816-878-9650
courtney.lewis@evergy.com    
Media Line: 888-613-0003