Power Outages, Downed Lines and Storm Damage Linger Across San Antonio After Friday Night Thunderstorms
What started as a hot August Friday ended with a powerful thunderstorm ripping through San Antonio, toppling trees and power lines, flooding streets and knocking out electricity to more than 100,000 CPS Energy customers.
The Aug. 28 storm produced intense rain, lightning and damaging straight-line winds as it swept across the city Friday night. The National Weather Service said the San Antonio metro area was hit by high winds and urged residents Saturday to use caution while cleaning up debris and operating chainsaws or other power tools.
At the height of the storm, roughly 112,000 CPS Energy customers lost electricity, according to reports citing the utility. By Saturday afternoon, more than 60,000 customers remained without power as repair crews worked through widespread damage to the electrical system.
CPS Energy Warns Some Outages Could Last Several Days
During a Saturday news conference, CPS Energy Interim President and CEO Frank Almaraz said nearly 112,000 customers were without power at the height of the storm, with extensive damage slowing restoration efforts across the city.
“Because of extensive damage caused by wind and falling trees, we have downed lines, broken poles and fallen trees,” Almaraz said. “Some of these outages are going to extend several days.”
Almaraz urged residents who remained without electricity to begin making alternate plans, particularly with temperatures climbing back toward triple digits.
CPS Energy officials said customers should see significant progress as crews restore larger outages, but smaller and more scattered outages could take longer to repair. Restoration work is expected to continue through the weekend and potentially into early next week.
CPS Energy also reminded residents to stay away from downed lines, treat every wire as energized and report electrical emergencies to 210-353-4357 (HELP).
West Side Among Areas Hit Hardest
The damage stretched across San Antonio, but portions of the West Side were among the hardest hit.
More than 15,000 customers in the 78207 ZIP code were without electricity late Friday, while the Five Points area sustained extensive infrastructure damage. CPS Energy crews were responding to about 250 downed power lines, with some outages expected to continue through the weekend and potentially into the beginning of the week.
The storm’s winds were estimated at up to about 60 mph in some areas. Trees and branches fell across streets and properties, and reports included a tree crashing into an apartment building and an 18-wheeler used by a high school band being overturned. No storm-related deaths or injuries had been reported as of Saturday afternoon.
The National Weather Service also issued a Flash Flood Warning Friday night as heavy downpours moved through the area. San Antonio International Airport recorded about 1.69 inches of rain Friday, making it the city’s wettest day since June.
The National Weather Service expects conditions to turn considerably drier after Friday’s storms, with hot weather returning across South Central Texas.
City Opens Resilience Hubs for Residents Without Power
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones also directed residents still without electricity to several city resilience hubs, particularly those who need refrigeration for medication.
The Normoyle Senior Center at 700 Culberson Ave., Gilbert Garza Community Center at 1450 Mira Vista, Miller’s Pond Community Center at 6175 Old Pearsall Road and Copernicus Community Center at 5003 Lord Road were open Saturday.
The Southside Lions Senior Center at 3303 Pecan Valley Drive and Northeast Senior Center at 4135 Thousand Oaks Drive were scheduled to open at 4 p.m.
The city’s response came as prolonged outages raised concerns for residents relying on refrigerated medications, air conditioning and other electricity-dependent medical needs.
