Threat of extreme winds could cause power outages across Kansas City area
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Energy companies are on high alert as the Kansas City area gets ready for another winter storm system.
This time, it’s not subzero temperatures the company is most concerned about. The extreme winds are the greatest threat to power outages.
“Stay at least 30 feet away from any downed power line; always assume it’s still energized call Evergy report it and if its an emergency call 911,” Courtney Lewis said, a spokesperson for Evergy.
Lewis said workers will be closely monitoring the storm as it heads toward the metro.
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“We go where the outages are and this is kind of looking like it could be a good chuck of our service area,” Lewis said.
She said they’ll call in contractors to help if they need more hands but they’re hoping that’s not the case.
Throughout the year, Lewis said the company has invested in modernizing equipment to help prevent outages.
“An example of that is when we replace those large transmission poles that carry the power from our substations to communities we will replace them with steel instead of wood,” Lewis said.
She said steel poles are meant to withstand winds as strong as 100 mph. Still, it’s important to have an emergency kit ready to go just in case.
“Batteries flashlights a charged cell phone bank if you have it, a first aid kit,” Lewis added.
As for the threat of snow, Kansas City’s Public Works Department said they do not plan on pretreating roads Tuesday because the rain would wash all the salt away. But they will be ready to plow Wednesday as needed.
View the latest Weather Alerts in the Kansas City region on FOX4
Because of the possibility of debris flying, like tree limbs, make sure your cars are in a safe spot and anything that’s not secure outside gets brought in.
You can check and report on outages through Evergy’s website and by downloading the app.
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