As wet snow clung to trees, power lines, outages peaked Saturday at about 110,000.

KANSAS CITY, Mo., Jan. 12, 2019 (evening update) – By Saturday evening, more than 70,000 customers impacted by Winter Storm Gia had been restored as KCP&L crews were joined by line crews from neighboring utilities. KCP&L crews began restoring power early Saturday morning as the storm hit the Kansas City metro area and as of 6 pm Saturday evening, 105,000 customers remained without power. Crews will work around the clock to continue restoring power to customers at least into Monday.

Winter Storm Gia moved slowly through the Kansas City region Saturday, blanketing the city with more than seven inches of snow. The wet, heavy snow clung to tree limbs and powerlines, weighing them down, causing significant tree and wire damage and resulting in power outages. Saturday evening, new reports of power outages were still being received.

KCP&L called on regional mutual assistance partners to help with power restoration. Utilities have a practice of sharing crews when large storms hit areas to enable them to grow their work force and respond to the urgent need. In addition to KCP&L and Westar Energy crews, Mid-American crews are traveling from Iowa and Liberty Utilities-Empire District from Missouri to help restore power. Line contractors are assisting as well.

With the extended outages and cold temperatures, warming centers are available in some communities. A list of warming centers is available from the United Way of Greater Kansas City online or by calling 2-1-1.

Current outage locations and numbers are available on the KCP&L outage map (outagemap.kcpl.com). Outages may be reported online at KCPL.com and at 1-888-LIGHTKC (888-544-4852).

With the cold temperatures and game day, people may be using generators. If so, these safety tips should be kept in mind:

• Never connect generators to your home’s electrical panel or plug directly into a wall outlet. Generators should connect to essential appliances such as freezers and refrigerators.
• If you connect a generator to house wiring, the correct way is to have a certified electrician install a power transfer switch.
• Follow manufacturer’s instructions for operation.
• Never use a portable generator indoors. This includes partially-enclosed areas such as a garage.
• Place the generator away from windows or doors that could allow carbon monoxide to come indoors.
• Don’t overload your generator.

Serving approximately 1.5 million customers in Kansas and Missouri, Kansas City Power & Light Company (KCP&L), KCP&L Greater Missouri Operations Company and Westar Energy are the electric utilities of Evergy, Inc. (NYSE: EVRG). Together 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.