News Releases

Kansas City, MO – May 27, 2024 – Evergy crews have restored nearly 85% of customers impacted by the Saturday night storms. As of 10:00 Monday morning, about 23,000 customers are still without power.  

Mutual assistance crews from Liberty Utilities in Joplin and Alliant Energy in Iowa and Wisconsin began arriving Sunday. Nearly 900 workers from those utilities and local and regional contractors have joined restoration work in the Kansas City Metro. 

Because of the severity of damage, restoration work in some areas will take multiple days. Evergy expects to have all customers in Wichita restored by tonight. In the KC metro area, restoration will likely extend to Wednesday night. Crews will continue to work until power is restored to all customers.  

Damage assessment teams are also working again today. Customers may see an Evergy pickup or other vehicle drive through a storm damaged area. While line crews are restoring power, damage assessment teams are investigating outages to ensure the vegetation and line crews arrive with the needed equipment to help make power restoration more efficient.   

The most severe weather and damage was in the Kansas City Metro area, where a downburst brought straight-line 70 mph winds that lasted about 10 minutes south of the I-70 corridor.   

Those winds caused significant damage to poles and caused downed power lines. Evergy crews began restoration as soon as it was safe to do so and will continue to work until power is restored to all customers. Vegetation crews continue to limbs and debris from damaged infrastructure to clear the way for line crews to make repairs. Power restoration is prioritized to bring the largest number of customers back on as quickly and safely as possible, prioritizing public safety and critical infrastructure.   

Assume that any downed line is energized. Downed lines can be reported online at https://www.evergy.com/community/safety/electrical-safety/around-power-lines. Stay at least 35 feet away from downed power lines or limbs on lines. Do not try to remove tree limbs or brush from downed lines or anywhere near power lines. If you have an emergency, please call 911.  

Customers should prioritize safety as restoration continues.   

• Follow updates from local authorities and your utility company for restoration times and safety advice.  

• Avoid opening refrigerators and freezers frequently to keep food cold longer. Have non-perishable snacks accessible.  

• Download the Evergy mobile app: You can report an outage and keep up with outage updates by downloading the Evergy mobile app: https://www.evergy.com/about-evergy/mobile-app  or visit the outage map online: https://outagemap.evergy.com/  

• Kansas residents served by Evergy Kansas Central can call 800-LIGHT-KS (800-544-4857). Customers in the Kansas City metro area and Missouri can call 888-LIGHT-KC (888-544-4852)