Some 20,000 CPS Energy customers remain without power following heavy rain and violent winds that struck San Antonio on Friday night, officials with the city-owned utility said during a Sunday morning press conference.
That total is around 18% of the 112,000 customers left without power in the immediate wake of the storm, which brought down trees and power lines across the city. The Five Points neighborhood north of downtown was one of the hardest hit.
At least two people are believed to have died from the flooding, San Antonio Police Department Acting Chief Jesse Salame said during the presser.
CPS Energy Interim CEO Frank Almaraz said the utility’s original estimate of some outages lasting into early next week remains in effect. As of 7 a.m. Sunday, work crews were responding to 643 weather-related outages across the service area.
Almaraz said he understands the frustration of those still without power. However, clearing the large amount of downed trees and debris brought on by the storm remains challenging. What’s more, crews must work safely when dealing with downed power lines, he added.
CPS asked other power companies to dispatch contract crews to help, which allowed to boost the number of personnel devoted to restoration work by 40% Saturday, according to Almaraz. Additional workers from Pedernales Electric Cooperative are expected to arrive around noon Sunday.
Even so, some residents expressed frustration with how long it took CPS and city crews to begin addressing the outages and other neighborhood concerns.
Five Points Neighborhood Association President Maricela Espinoza said she didn’t see CPS crews show up in her hard-hit neighborhood until 3 p.m. Saturday, which prompted her to reach out to the District 1 City Council Office to ask for more help.
“We have a lot of senior citizens here, and we have places where trees literally fell into the middle of the houses,” Espinoza said. “We still don’t have power, but it’s not just the electricity, it’s the property damage.”
Espinoza said a multi-unit complex for elderly people and those with disabilities remains without power. A Salvation Army shelter in the neighborhood is continuing to operate despite losing a portion of its roof.
“We’re going to starting to mobilizing in terms of distributing food, water and that sort of thing,” she said.
CPS officials urged people to report downed power lines to (210) 353-HELP (4357) or call 911 for an immediate emergency.
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