Evergy has been honored for its quick storm response efforts after severe weather moved through Salina, Abilene, Topeka, and parts of the Kansas City region in June.

According to the company, they are the recipient of the Edison Electric Institute (EEI) Emergency Response Award.  EEI presents the national award each year, recognizing heroic efforts by electric companies following service disruptions caused by extreme weather or other natural events.

Winners were selected by a panel of judges through a nomination process. The awards were presented during EEI’s September Board of Directors and Chief Executives Meeting Sept. 9.

Damage included 500 snapped or damaged utility poles that required complete replacement, with 200 of those poles in Salina alone. And working conditions were challenging, with teams working in water-logged fields and roads, and in areas littered with fallen trees and storm debris.

Over the course of three days, Evergy crews:

• Restored power to nearly 200,000 customers.
• Worked more than 27,000 combined hours.
• Responded to more than 3,200 outage reports.
• Replaced 200,000 feet of wire and cable, nearly 600 poles, and more than 340 transformers.