Storm Response
Outage Restoration Update
Outage Update: 9:30 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18
Crews and contractors worked throughout the day and service has been restored to all but approximately 18 customers in or near Quapaw, Seneca, Anderson, and Pineville. For those remaining customers, our team, along with additional crews who have come in to help, will be back at it early tomorrow. Please know our efforts will continue until every customer is restored.
If you are from a community or area not listed above and are still without power, please call us at 1-800-206-2300 to report your outage. If you have a Liberty My Account, you can also report your outage online or with the mobile app.
Outage Update: 3:25 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 18
Thank you to our Operations, Dispatch, and Customer Care teams working around the clock on this restoration effort. Photos like the one above are a great example of the quick response from our warehousing team. They facilitate these “lay down yards” to get large supply items, like the transmission poles you see here, as close to the line crews and restoration zones as possible.
Following outage events, we try to focus efforts on large sections of outages, a neighborhood for example, that share a circuit and can be restored at one time. Once those are completed, crews will switch to smaller, more isolated outage sections, like cul-de-sacs, streets, or single outages. At this time, crews are down to under 400 customers left to be restored from the storm with the majority being smaller outage sections. We appreciate your ongoing patience and expect to energize remaining outages that can accept power by this evening. (You might notice the map numbers reading higher than 400 due to a separate outage in the Hollister area impacting approximately 350 customers.)
For your safety, please remember to stay clear of downed power lines. Report downed lines by calling 1-800-206-2300. If you have an outage, you can report it through our website or mobile app. Find a link to our outage map at: https://central.libertyutilities.com/.../outages-map.html
Outage Update: 9 a.m. Sunday, Aug. 18
Liberty crews and contractors were back at it early this morning. They are working in our service areas in all four states where we had damage. We have a little under 1,200 customers remaining from approximately 6,000 at the height of the storm Friday night. We expect to complete restoration efforts today for most remaining customers. We know this has been challenging – it’s warm out there! Thank you again for your patience and all the words of encouragement for our team working in these tough conditions. It’s really appreciated!
For your safety, especially if you are working to clean storm debris and fallen tree limbs, stay clear of any downed lines and treat them as if they are energized. Please report any downed lines by calling 1-800-206-2300.
You can find a link to our outage map here: https://central.libertyutilities.com/all/residential/emergencies-outages/outages-map.html
Outage Update: 10:45 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17
We continue to make slow and steady progress. We have approximately 1,300 customers remaining without power, primarily in our Kansas and Oklahoma service areas, which experienced extensive damage from high winds during the severe weather (we still have some scattered outages in Arkansas and Missouri as well). At this time, we expect to have most remaining customers restored by end of day tomorrow. We appreciate our customers’ patience as our crews and contractors work as quickly as they can to safely restore service.
Outage Update: 4:40 p.m. Saturday, Aug. 17
Crews are making steady progress with just over 1,500 remaining without service, down from approximately 6,000 at the peak of the storm. This extreme weather caused heavy damage, including transmission structures and lines in Oklahoma and Kansas. Transmission lines bring energy long distances from our generation plants and substations to the distribution lines that branch out and take power to individual service lines. Our crews in these areas are focused on repairing the transmission structures and lines, which will then allow them to energize more neighborhoods and homes. The conditions are tough, so this work takes time. We do not yet have estimated restoration times.
Since this morning’s assessment, crews have discovered an additional 36 broken poles, bringing the total to 116. Crews and contractors brought in to help continue their restoration efforts. Thank you for your patience and well wishes to our crews as they work to restore power.
For your safety, please remember to stay clear of downed power lines. Report downed lines by calling 1-800-206-2300. If you have an outage, you can report it through our website or mobile app. Find a link to our outage map at: https://central.libertyutilities.com/.../outages-map.html
Outage Update: 8:30 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 17
Crews worked through the night making repairs and restoring power where it was safe to do so. We know there is extensive damage across our service area, with heavy damage in our service territories in Kansas, Oklahoma, SW Missouri, and NW Arkansas. Currently, we know we have at least 80 poles/structures down. All our area crews have been called in to assist, as well as several outside contractors to support restoration efforts.
Now that it is daylight, we continue to assess damage. For some, this could be a multi-day outage. We will provide additional updates as we learn more.
For your safety, please remember to stay clear of downed power lines. Report downed lines by calling 1-800-206-2300. If you have an outage, you can report it through our website or mobile app. Find a link to our outage map at: https://central.libertyutilities.com/.../outages-map.html
Outage Update: 9:15 p.m. Friday, Aug. 16
We are experiencing scattered outages across our electric service area due to the storm. Crews are responding to assess the damage and begin repairs. For your safety, please stay clear of downed power lines. Report downed lines by calling 1-800-206-2300. If you have a Liberty My Account and you experience an outage, you can report it through our website or mobile app.
Extreme Weather Safety Tips
- Close drapes and blinds on the sunny side of your home to prevent the sun’s rays from directly heating a home.
- Drink plenty of cool liquids, even if you do not feel thirsty.
- Wear lightweight, light-colored, loose clothing.
- Reduce, eliminate, or reschedule strenuous activities to a cooler time of the day.
- Cool down by taking a bath in tepid water. Water conducts heat away from the body, so bathing is an effective cooling technique.
- Always stay away from power lines. Downed power lines may appear to be harmless, but could be energized and dangerous.
- If a person or object is in contact with a power line, do not touch the person, object, or line. The electric current could flow through to you. Call 911 and Liberty at 1-800-206-2300 (Electric & Water) immediately.
- If your vehicle comes into contact with a power line, stay inside. Warn others not to approach the vehicle or attempt to touch the vehicle or line.
- If you must leave your vehicle, jump clear to avoid being in contact with the car and the ground at the same time.
- Perishable or frozen food that has been held at a temperature above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for more than two hours should be thrown away.
- Rarely open either the refrigerator or freezer door so cold air does not escape.
- Keep a thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer so you can monitor the temperature when you open the door.
- If an outage appears to be lengthy, pack perishable items into a cooler surrounded by ice or dry ice. If outside temperatures are cold enough, below 40 degrees Fahrenheit, you can store the cooler outdoors.
- After electricity is restored, take the time to examine all of your perishable items to make sure they have not spoiled. If in doubt, throw it out!
- Before returning food to a refrigerator or freezer, clean and disinfect it thoroughly. You can sanitize the space with one teaspoon of bleach in one quart of water. Do not use more bleach, as it can be toxic. Leave the door open until it dries completely.
• Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper usage of a portable generator.
• Only operate generators outdoors to avoid deadly fumes accumulating in the house.
• When using a portable generator, plug appliances directly into the generator.
• Only refuel the generator when the engine is off and cool.
• Never connect a portable generator or alternative energy system (such as wind or solar) to your home’s main electrical panel. This creates the potential for electricity to back feed into electric lines and may result in injury or death to line workers or others.