More than 13,000 without power Sunday morning
Thousands of people were without power Sunday morning in the Midsouth after a line of strong storms passed through the area Saturday night and early Sunday. The National Weather Service cautioned there was the potential for more severe storms throughout the day.
According to Memphis Light, Gas and Water, more than 13,000 customers were without power due to 116 outages as of 9:30 a.m. Sunday. By 1:30 p.m. 180 outages were impacting 12,490 customers, but the utility company said full restoration of power was not expected until Tuesday. In a statement issued Sunday morning, MLGW said that more than 40,000 customers had experienced an outage at some point Saturday night or Sunday morning.
“Outside crews have been requested to assist with repairs,” officials said in the release. “There are several individual outages which will take longer to repair. Officials expect full restoration to be completed Tuesday for customers impacted by Saturday’s storms.”
The outages occurred across Memphis and suburban communities, but some of the highest concentrations of customers without power were in North Memphis and Raleigh, according to the agency’s online outage tracker.
At least one of the outages was due to a utility pole falling. The number of customers without power had dropped to about 5,500 before that incident caused an outage spike, MLGW said.
“There are trees, wires and poles down throughout Shelby County,” MLGW said. “Troubleshooters are currently assessing damage. Crews are working around the clock, however, safety for employees will be a priority. MLGW crews will work quickly and safely to restore power.”
MLGW advised customers experiencing a power outage to call 901-5446500 to report the outage and get updates on power restoration and check the online outage map or the utility company’s app for further updates.
The weather is expected to calm down Monday before more storms move through the area Tuesday, bringing with them the chance of additional severe weather.
Corinne Kennedy is a reporter for The Commercial Appeal. She can be reached via email at Corinne.kennedy@commercialappeal.com or on Twitter @Corinneskennedy