CPS Energy expects to restore power Tuesday night to the last of customers affected by Friday night’s severe storm, officials said Monday, as San Antonio shifts response toward neighborhood cleanup and damage assistance for residents.
Just under 2,000 customers remained without electricity as of 10 a.m. Monday, down from about 111,000 sustained outages at the height of the storm. CPS Energy Interim President and CEO Frank Almaraz said the utility expects that number to fall into the hundreds soon.
“We believe that we ought to be able to restore our very last customer by tomorrow night,” Almaraz said.
The timeline is expected to hold unless additional severe weather slows crews. The National Weather Service is currently forecasting a 0% chance of rain through the first half of the week.
The remaining outages are among the most difficult to repair. CPS Energy has encountered about 500 downed wires and replaced 50 utility poles since the storm, with some of the remaining damage located in backyards and narrow alleys blocked by fallen trees and debris.
Replacing a single pole takes at least three hours, Almaraz said.
The storm’s impact varied dramatically across San Antonio. Almaraz said some parts of the city experienced little more than a typical weather event, while a corridor stretching from the Northeast Side toward the Southwest Side saw extensive damage to trees, homes and utility infrastructure.
As CPS Energy works through those remaining outages, city departments are expanding cleanup and outreach efforts in the neighborhoods hit hardest by the storm.
Cleanup and neighborhood assistance
The city has temporarily suspended bulky-item collection and redirected those resources to storm debris, with plans to make a first collection pass through affected areas by Friday and begin a second round on Saturday.
City officials are asking residents to place storm-related brush and debris at the curb for collection. Public Works crews are also working ahead of Solid Waste crews in some areas, cutting and stacking fallen trees and other debris so it can be hauled away.
Residents can also place small amounts of brush and spoiled food directly into their green organics carts for regularly scheduled collection, Deputy City Manager María Villagómez said. The city is asking residents not to place either in garbage bags before putting them in the carts.
Trash and organics collection will otherwise continue on their normal schedules.
The city is also providing additional garbage pickups in some of the hardest-hit neighborhoods to help residents dispose of spoiled food and other waste. An additional collection began Monday in portions of District 1, while another is scheduled Tuesday for a section of the West Side bounded by Culebra Road to the north, Buena Vista Street to the south, Zarzamora Street to the west and Interstates 10 and 35 to the east.
Residents in the extra collection area are expected to receive notices from the city Monday informing them of the opportunity to place their trash out for collection.
Beyond cleanup, city employees are going door to door in some neighborhoods that experienced prolonged outages to identify residents who still need additional help. Workers wearing bright blue vests are checking on residents and connecting them with food, water and other assistance.
The outreach is targeted toward the most heavily affected areas rather than every home that lost power. Villagómez said the city is working with CPS Energy to identify neighborhoods that remain without electricity and those that experienced extended outages.
Residents can also call 311 to request non-emergency assistance for themselves or a neighbor.
Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones urged residents not to avoid asking for help out of concern that city employees could cite or fine them for unrelated code violation issues they encounter on their property.
“We are not there to do anything except help get your power back on,” Jones said. “Please do not hesitate to call and make sure that we can help with debris and some of the other things that are happening because that is our focus right now.”
Food, cooling and shelter
Three of the city’s six resilience hubs will remain available for overnight shelter as the number of residents without power continues to decline.
Gilbert Garza Community Center, Normoyle Community Center and Northeast Senior Center will continue operating as resilience hubs. Copernicus Community Center, Southside Lions Senior Center and Miller’s Pond Community Center have returned to their regular operations after no residents stayed there overnight.
Libraries and parks community centers remain available as cooling locations during regular operating hours. VIA is also continuing to provide free transportation to cooling centers and overnight shelters. Residents who need transportation assistance can call 311.
Food assistance is also continuing for residents who lost groceries or have been unable to prepare meals during prolonged outages.
The San Antonio Food Bank said it served 224 households at a curbside distribution Sunday and delivered food to 14 apartment complexes encompassing more than 2,500 households. It also provided 2,000 meals to Opportunity Home San Antonio for staff to deliver directly to residents, including elderly residents unable or uncomfortable leaving their homes.
Two additional distributions are scheduled from 1 to 3 p.m. Monday at JT Brackenridge Elementary School, 1214 Guadalupe St., and Miller’s Pond Park, 6175 FM 2536 West.
Residents can also receive assistance at the Food Bank’s main warehouse, 5200 Historic Old Highway 90 West, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. through Friday.
Traffic and public safety
As cleanup continues, damaged traffic signals and utility infrastructure remain hazards for drivers and crews working in affected neighborhoods.
Public Works expects all storm-affected traffic signals to be functional by Wednesday, Villagómez said, although temporary signals may be used in some locations as permanent repairs continue. San Antonio Police officers are assisting with traffic control at major intersections where signals remain out.
Acting Police Chief Jesse Salame urged drivers to slow down and treat any intersection without a functioning traffic signal as a four-way stop.
Officials are also asking drivers to slow down and move over when approaching utility and cleanup crews. A CPS Energy employee was struck by a vehicle Monday morning while working on storm recovery, Almaraz said. The employee did not suffer broken bones or life-threatening injuries.
SAPD has also increased patrols in portions of the affected areas in Districts 1 and 5 after residents expressed concerns about leaving homes unattended while their electricity remains out.
Salame said officers will maintain an increased presence in several affected neighborhoods until power is restored and residents return home.
Police on Monday also provided an update on two deaths investigated following the storm.
The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled the death of a 46-year-old woman swept into San Pedro Creek a drowning, Salame said. A second person swept away with her survived and received treatment at the scene.
Police are still investigating the possible drowning of a man found at Woodlawn Park on Sunday and were working Monday to confirm his identity.
