We ask for your patience as we do our best to respond to the effects of this storm. Yesterday high winds caused significant outages. At this time, we can confirm we have a power outage affecting approximately 2500 meters. The power outage area includes many portions throughout our service territory.

Since yesterday, power has been restored to approximately 5500 meters. We are still working to restore power to many areas in our service territory. When an outage occurs, power is first restored to transmission lines, substations and major lines, as well as to critical infrastructure in our area, such as hospitals, police departments, and other emergency responders. Residents and businesses in our service area could be without electricity for another 24 hours.

Crews are working on the situation at this time. We have received assistance from four other power companies who participate in our mutual aid program. This storm has taken down over a hundred power poles and affected many of our substations. Our service area has 4000 miles of lines. At this time, there are still sections of downed lines that will need to be rebuilt before energizing.

Please be aware that sometimes during complicated repairs, you may have your lights come back on, only to have them go off again because we discover another problem that must be fixed. For your safety, please stay away from any downed power lines.

We understand that it is very frustrating when a neighbor has lights, and you don't, or that people across the street have lights and you don't. Often this may be because your home is on another circuit, or perhaps that your meter is damaged in a way that your neighbor's meter is not damaged.

While we feel we are making good progress, we will not be completely satisfied until everyone has their lights on. We would like to thank all of our employees who are working long hours as part of the restoration and response effort. We would also like to thank all of our external crews who are helping with the restoration efforts.

We apologize for any inconvenience this event may have caused. Although we post service updates to social media, we do not monitor social media for reports of outages. All outages must be reported by phone. To report an outage or a downed power line, you can call 1-800-456-6720. We will post any updates to our website at www.westerncoop.com.

Western Cooperative Electric Association is a member-owned cooperative headquartered in WaKeeney, Kansas. Established in 1945, Western now serves more than 12,000 meters and maintains over 4,000 miles of power lines across western and central Kansas. Together, with our members' help, Western Co-op is committed to building a stronger rural America. For more information about Western, visit www.westerncoop.com.