The photo shows a tree that was knocked over by a strong storm that hit San Antonio on Frday, August 28.
Courtesy of Dorette Bower
The strong storms that swept through San Antonio over the weekend, downing power poles and tree limbs, continue to leave nearly 2,000 residents without power. But CPS Energy officials say they expect the last remaining customer to have power restored by Tuesday night.
On Friday, August 28, the near-worst-case scenarios predicted by forecasters came to fruition. What was expected to be a mild storm with small pockets of dousing became an hour or so of torrential rain and damaging winds.
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How did Friday night’s storm affect you and your neighborhood?
Most RecentTop Responses
N T
San Antonio, TX
08/31/26
Still without power, this is completely unacceptable. Some of my neighbors have power but some STILL DO NOT. What happens during the next storm, or the next one, or even a stronger one? CPS needs to take responsibility for its system and it’s shortcomings. The company is a monopoly that profits and doesn’t reinvest properly in maintenance and proactive measures to ensure shortcomings like this are minimized. Imagine if a bigger storm happens, people will lose more than they did this time. CPS needs to take responsibility, but they literally have no incentive to do so. People have no alternative option, so CPS will continue to profit and fail their customers as long as this model exists. CPS is winning, regardless of how inconsiderate it is and will remain to its own customer base (a customer base that DID NOT chose CPS, a customer base that is forced to utilize their service because their is NO other option). This won’t change until the system changes, CEO firing is just a deck shuffle
As a result, more than 100,000 CPS Energy customers lost power, businesses shuttered and cooling shelters were opened for residents to escape the scorching Saturday afternoon. The following days involved countless hours of crews toiling away to restore power.
“To get us from 100,000 … to less than 2,000 is pretty amazing,” San Antonio Mayor Gina Ortiz Jones said during a Monday morning, August 31, press conference.
As of 10 a.m. On Monday, CPS Energy reported 352 active outages affecting just under 2,000 customers. Interim CPS Energy President and CEO Frank Almaraz said some of the remaining repairs are among the most difficult, with downed trees and debris blocking crews’ access to alleyways and other damaged infrastructure.
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CPS Energy crews have responded to roughly 500 downed wires and replaced at least 50 utility poles since Friday’s storm. Almaraz said replacing a single pole takes at least three hours. Pedernales Electric Cooperative, “which services one million Texans in the Hill Country and areas north and south of Austin,” has also assisted CPS Energy with the restoration effort.
The city is helping clear the way. Deputy City Manager María Villagómez said the storm affected 377 trees across San Antonio, with about 30 still awaiting removal as of Monday. Public Works crews are assisting CPS Energy with debris removal to give utility crews access to damaged infrastructure.
CPS Energy expects the remaining outages to be restored by Tuesday night, though Almaraz cautioned that additional expected storms could complicate that timeline. Crews will stop working when necessary if lightning or high winds make conditions unsafe.
“Safety is always our top priority,” Almaraz said, referring to both CPS Energy crews and the community. One CPS Energy employee was struck by a vehicle during the recovery effort but did not suffer broken bones or major injuries. Almaraz urged drivers to remain vigilant when approaching crews working along roadways.
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San Antonio storm cleanup efforts
City cleanup efforts are expected to continue throughout the week. Villagómez said San Antonio temporarily suspended bulk collection and redirected resources toward storm debris, with crews aiming to complete the first collection in affected neighborhoods by Friday and return Saturday for a second pass. Regular trash and organics collection will continue as scheduled.
Officials also expect all traffic signals affected by the storm to be fully functional by Wednesday.
“We understand the frustration of our customers who remain without power, and we thank them for their continued patience as our crews work to repair the extensive damage left by Friday night’s storms,” CPS Energy officials wrote in a public statement Sunday.
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Food insecurity in San Antonio
The prolonged outages have also put additional pressure on residents already struggling with food access.
“We were stressed,” San Antonio Food Bank President and CEO Eric Cooper said after the organization’s power was restored Sunday.
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Cooper said the food bank was concerned not only about its food spoiling during the outage but also about families in the surrounding corridor who were already dealing with poverty. The organization distributed nearly 5,000 ready-to-eat meals Saturday and another 2,000 Sunday.
The food bank continues to operate community distribution sites and its main warehouse, with additional resources coming from H-E-B at select locations. Residents who need food assistance can visit SAFoodBank.org and select “Get Help” or call 210-431-8326 for information about available resources.