Latest Update from Austin Energy:
We hear you. We are working hard. We will not stop until your electricity returns.
During this week of historic and catastrophic ice striking Central Texas, you have gone through a lot. You have dealt with darkness, cold, worry and many of you have damage to your homes and property from the storm.
More than 100 well-trained crews from Austin Energy and partnering electric utilities are working around the clock to get your power back on, despite obstacles in conditions and access to equipment to make needed repairs.
Between 5 p.m. yesterday and 7 a.m. this morning, we restored power to 49,193 customers, for a total of 182,159 customers restored since the beginning of this winter event. That number will continue to rise today.
We know how frustrated you are about the pace of repairs. We're frustrated too and we recognize we still have work to do.
Restoration Progress
Here's why power restoration is taking so long, and how you can help.
Most of the outages from this ice storm are very complex. The crews on scene must locate and assess the cause of the outage and communicate with other crews and the control center, often during challenging conditions. Austin Energy crews prioritize power restoration to get the greatest number of customers back online in the least amount of time.
When will the power be back on?
While weather conditions have greatly improved, we are unable to provide a specific, system-wide restoration estimate. We know this is difficult for customers without power. Thankfully, outage restoration numbers are going up because trees have stopped falling and more than 400 professionals from Austin Energy and neighboring utilities are working to get your power back on.
The safety of our crews and our customers is paramount.
This work is often quite hazardous and takes special care. Our crews strive to restore power to customers as efficiently as possible. Please give the crews lots of space. They need to follow all safety protocols and protect you from harm by making sure you stay a safe distance away.
Restoration crews are dealing with:
Repeated damage: We complete a repair and restore power, then another tree falls and the problem repeats, requiring more work and more time to make a new repair. This means customers get power back, but only briefly, until the final repairs are complete.
Circuit overload: Lights, electronics, thermostats, chargers and appliances left on and/or plugged prior to the outage can immediately cause an outage when power comes back on. This is called cold load pick-up and happens because the circuit is forced to work too hard too quickly and is overloaded.
What you can do: If you don’t have power, turn off thermostats, light switches and anything that you can think of that might have been on before your outage, including electronics and appliances. Leave one light on so you can see right away when the power comes back.
If you are experiencing an emergency, please call 9-1-1.
Why was this ice storm so bad here, especially compared to past storms?
Unlike other parts of Texas and past storms, this ice storm brought us extensive moisture and ice accumulation, which had a direct impact on Austin's dense tree canopy and vegetation. The resulting ice that piled up on power lines, trees and equipment added hundreds of pounds of force and caused massive destruction. This caused electrical distribution lines and nearby vegetation to sag, break or come into contact with one another.
Branches falling or leaning on power lines have contributed to the outages across our 400-square-mile service area. Despite Austin Energy's increased efforts throughout this community in the last two years to trim trees and clear lines, nature pushed these trees to new breaking points. Huge trees have completely uprooted and/or fallen on power lines and made roads impassible.
A half-inch of ice adds as much as 500 pounds to a power line and causes the line to break, even if that line is brand new.
Ice build-up on other electric system equipment can cause components like switches to malfunction or break, requiring work-arounds that take more time to make repairs.
Reporting a power outage:
Report your outage by texting OUT to 287846, visiting outagemap.austinenergy.com, or calling 512-322-9100.
The outage map updates every 10 minutes, showing updates to general areas, not specific addresses.
Due to the large number of outage reports, you might experience instances where information you submitted times out or you don't receive a response. If that happens, please submit your information again.
Austin Energy is working with the outage map vendor to resolve remaining reporting issues.
Electrical Safety Tips
If using an electric space heater, be sure it has an automatic shut-off switch and non-glowing elements, and make sure to keep away from flammable materials.
Never heat your home with a gas oven or burn anything in a stove or a fireplace that is not vented. Do not burn paper in a fireplace.
Portable generators can be very dangerous to members of your household and the crews working to restore your power. Get portable generator safety tips.
Stay Informed
