Faulty Cable Leaves 6,000 Austin Energy Customers Without Power

SOUTH AUSTIN, TEXAS — Austin Energy officials blamed a "failed cable" on a power outage that affected some 6,000 households and businesses in southeast Austin on Sunday evening, the utility said.

By around 9:30 p.m., 1,300 utility customers remained without power after 6,000 households were impacted by the power outage around the Bluff Springs neighborhood, south of McKinney Falls State Park. The outage in the area occurred just before 9 p.m., Austin Energy officials reported via Twitter, and crews were dispatched to the area attempting to restore power.

Given a high energy demand on Sunday night, utility officials said the remaining 1,300 homes still without power would have electricity restored piecemeal. "Due to current load, the rest of the customers will be restored in sections," officials said.

In its most recent update, Austin Energy officials attributed the blackout to a faulty cable. Heavy rains descended on the region this weekend, but had largely cleared by Sunday. It's unclear if the inclement weather played a role in Sunday's blackout amid cold temperatures in the low 40s.

Related story: Texas Storms Prompt Safety Tips, Consumer Alerts

For updates and to view the power outage map for the affected areas, click here.

Austin Energy offers customers resources to stay apprised of updates in the event of power outages:

• The Storm Center Outage Map shows the parts of the city where blackouts occur. Color bars on the map alert to the number of homes affected, from under 1,000 to multiple thousands. To view the map, click here.
• Through its outage alerts feature, Austin Energy is able to let residents know of blackouts via their cell phones. "When you sign up to receive Outage Alerts from Austin Energy, you will be able to quickly and easily report outages and receive outage status updates using your mobile phone or device," officials wrote on Twitter. "Austin Energy will provide you with the best information available to keep you up-to-date so you can make plans."

Signing up for alerts on one's mobile device is a quick and easy process, Austin Energy officials added:

1. Text REGISTER (or REG) to 287846 (the numbers associated with AUSTIN on a phone keypad). Para español envíe RGS por mensaje de texto a 287846.
2. Enter the phone number associated with your account OR your City of Austin utilities account number when prompted. If you are texting from the phone number associated with your account, you'll skip this step.
3. Enter your ZIP code.
4. Enter Y (entre S en español) to agree to Austin Energy Outage Alert Terms and Conditions.

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