17 July 2023
TOPEKA (KSNT) – Cleanup and power restoration efforts continue three days after a powerful storm rolled across Kansas and into Missouri, causing widespread damage and a massive power outage.
On Monday, July 17, Evergy released an update regarding the company’s efforts to restore power in northeast Kansas and the Kansas City metro. Evergy reports that 10,000 customers are still without power but expects all outages in Topeka to be wrapped up by the afternoon of July 17 before crews move on to Kansas City, according to its Evergy outage map.
Evergy said the majority of outages in Kansas City should be dealt with by the night of July 17. Remaining outages will be taken care of moving into Tuesday, July 18.
“Nearly 3,500 Evergy employees, contractors and personnel from neighboring utilities continue to make repairs and restore power. They are working 16-hour shifts, then taking their mandatory rest period before returning. Outages are not being assigned overnight as it’s safer and more efficient to focus work during daylight hours.”
Evergy statement
A press release from Evergy spokeswoman Kalen Bohlen on Sunday, July 16 stated that more than 265,000 Evergy customers lost power during the storm across the company’s coverage area. Wind speeds recorded at 80-100 mph resulted in damage across a wide area of Kansas and Missouri with the cities of Topeka, Lawrence and Kansas City suffering major power outages. The scale of the outages resulted in the largest mobilization of work crews since Evergy was formed in 2018.