SAN ANTONIO — Nearly 60,000 CPS Energy customers remained without electricity Saturday evening after severe storms damaged power lines, poles and trees across the San Antonio area, with some outages expected to last several days.
The CPS Energy outage map showed 59,963 customers without power as of 7:30 p.m., down from about 112,000 customers at the height of Friday night’s storm. The utility reported 653 active outages and about 250 calls involving downed wires.
CPS Energy Interim President and CEO Frank Almaraz urged residents who remain without power to prepare for an extended outage.
“We have down lines, broken poles and fallen trees. Some of these outages are going to extend several days,” Almaraz said. “So please begin making plans now. Put your emergency plan into effect and make plans to stay cool somewhere.”
The outages continued as temperatures approached 98 degrees Sunday, with heat index values expected to reach 101 degrees. Overnight temperatures were expected to remain in the upper 70s.
The storm disrupted businesses, schools and homes across the city. Residents reported downed power lines, flooded streets, fallen trees and damaged structures.
The National Weather Service said preliminary reports showed widespread tree damage from northeast Bexar County through central San Antonio and into southwest Bexar County. Officials recorded wind speeds of 50 to 65 mph, with some areas experiencing estimated winds near 75 mph. San Antonio International Airport recorded a 77 mph gust.
San Antonio College canceled Saturday classes because of storm-related conditions.
Residents without power gathered at businesses and public facilities to cool off, charge devices and find relief from the heat. Some residents also discarded food from refrigerators and freezers after prolonged outages.
The city opened libraries and park centers as cooling centers during normal Saturday hours, although some branches remained closed because they also lacked electricity.
The city also opened six resilience hubs with power, device charging, Wi-Fi and other emergency resources. The hubs remained open overnight through 4 p.m. Sunday. Residents who need refrigeration for medication can use a resilience hub or call the CPS Energy Customer Response Unit at 210-353-2783.
VIA Metropolitan Transit offered free transportation to cooling centers and overnight resilience hubs. Residents needing transportation assistance can call 311 or 210-207-6000.
City crews continued clearing fallen trees and debris from streets and public rights-of-way to allow emergency and utility crews to reach affected neighborhoods.
Residents can take storm-related brush to the city’s Brush Collection Center at 1800 Wurzbach Parkway. The center will operate Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with disposal fees waived for storm-related brush this weekend.
Officials urged residents to report storm damage through the state’s iSTAT damage survey. The reports will help officials assess the extent of the damage but do not replace insurance claims or guarantee disaster assistance.
CPS Energy reminded residents to treat all downed power lines as live and avoid them. Officials also urged residents to operate generators outdoors and away from doors and windows and to keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
Residents can report emergencies involving medical equipment to 911. For nonemergency assistance, residents can call 311 or submit requests through the city’s 311 portal or mobile app.