Rolling Blackouts:
UPDATE:
The Southwest Power Pool lifted their current order and intermittent outages have been suspended. Power is returning for those who were impacted. Electric service is being restored.
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Evergy has announced the rolling blackouts will continue through today. They will have to reduce the energy load by at least twice of what was reduced yesterday to help avoid larger uncontrolled and extended power outages throughout the region at the request of the Southwest Power Pool (SPP).
Please call 911 if you rely on emergency medical equipment powered by electricity and your power goes out.Blackouts today could last longer than one hour.
Please continue to conserve energy as rolling blackouts will occur across the state.- Turn thermostats a little cooler (65 - 68 degrees)- Avoid the use of electric space heaters- Turn off unnecessary lights and appliances- When possible, delay non-essential uses of energy washing drying clothes, washing dishes and bathing to non-peak hours, between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m.- Use low-temperature cooking methods and avoid opening the oven door if it's on.You can find the outage map from Evergy at https://outagemap.evergy.com/PDATE from Riley County police:
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There are reports in Manhattan that Evergy is indicating that the demands on the system are increasing and they need to shed more power in Manhattan.
Right now City Hall is without power, Manhattan Traffic Operation Facility, all the traffic lights along Ft. Riley Blvd from 17th Street to I believe 3rd Street, as well 11th Street from Poyntz to Freemont.
City officials stated:
The City of Manhattan Public Works Department also suggests customers conserve water during this period. The water treatment plant is not on the list for rolling blackouts. If a blackout did occur at the water treatment plant, it is served by a generator with the power to operate all equipment at a base flow level if that becomes necessary. However, some equipment at the wastewater treatment plant and sewer lift stations will be impacted by the blackouts. This could temporarily affect the full wastewater treatment process depending on the length of the rolling blackouts. Reducing the amount of sanitary sewer waste during this time will help preserve plant operations.
Please note that the Municipal Courthouse will remain open today for its normal business hours. If you are scheduled to appear in Court, you may appear in person at the Courthouse at 610 Colorado Street. If you planned to appear by Zoom, you can phone the Courthouse to receive the Zoom number, meeting ID and passcode. We can arrange for your appearance even if you do not have electricity. If you cannot appear in Court as scheduled, then you must contact the Court at (785) 587-2450.If the Courthouse experiences a temporary blackout, Court operations will continue remotely or be subject to a short delay.
If you are impacted by an emergency electricity reduction, you do not need to report your outage. If you experience an outage that lasts longer than an hour, report your outage at www.evergy.com or call 888-544-4852 or 800-544-4857, for Kansas Central customers.Call 911 if are experiencing an emergency or if you rely on emergency medical equipment powered by electricity and your power goes out. If you need assistance but it’s not an emergency, call 537-2112.
The Four Points Sheraton in Manhattan at 530 Richards Drive is open and available as a warming shelter. Chairs will be provided and the facility will be open 24 hours a day. Anyone who needs shelter from the extreme cold is welcome. The hotel is also offering rooms at a reduced rate for those who need longer term accommodations. Riley County Police Department will have a presence at the shelter. People may contact the desk of the hotel by phone at 785-539-5311 for more information.
The power outages will also impact traffic signals. If you approach an intersection and the traffic signal is totally dark, all drivers are to stop at the intersection, then proceed as if the intersection had stop signs controlling all approaches, unless law enforcement or other authorized persons are directing traffic.
Road Conditions:
In order for the salt to be effective on our roads the city needs a pavement temperature of at least +15 degrees. Road crews will not be putting out any more salt in the immediate future.