Updated Dec. 1, 6:30 p.m.

Approximately 30,000 South Austin residents lost power again Dec. 1, a day after a more widespread outage around Hwy. 290 along William Cannon Drive, Stassney Lane, South Congress Avenue and South First Street.

According to Austin Energy officials, the secondary outage was caused by crews' investigation into the previous outage. No further outages are expected.

The Dec. 1 outage lasted about 30 minutes, according to the officials.

Austin Energy is still investigating the issue behind the main outage.


Posted Nov. 30

More than 18,000 South Austin residents found themselves without power the morning of Nov. 30, including schools in Austin ISD and its central office.

Power was restored to Austin ISD by 11 a.m., AISD announced.

Austin Energy officials said the outage was caused by equipment failure at the Salem Hill substation, which is just north of West Stassney Lane, near Williamson Creek.


“Power has now been restored to all campuses that were affected by this morning’s outages. Thank you for your patience as we worked with our partners at Austin Energy,” Austin ISD tweeted at 10:59 a.m.

About an hour and a half earlier, the Austin Energy outage map showed more than 18,000 customers were without power. The energy company estimated the restoration time to be between 10:30-11:30 a.m. As of 11:30 a.m., a little more than 50 customers were still affected. According to the Austin Energy outage map at 1 p.m., it appears that all but 14 customers' power has since been restored.

The outage map showed most outages happened south of U.S. Hwy. 290 along William Cannon Drive, Stassney Lane, South Congress Avenue and South First Street. According to AISD, the following campuses were affected:
  • Crockett High School
  • Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders
  • Sunset Valley Elementary School
  • Joslin Elementary School
  • Cunningham Elementary School
  • St. Elmo Elementary School
  • Odom Elementary School
The central office for AISD was also affected by the power outage. However, district officials said classes continued normally and students were served sacked lunches.

Austin Energy offered several tips to stay safe during an outage:
  • Avoid downed power lines;
  • Check breakers if it can be done safely;
  • Use flashlights or battery-operated lanterns;
  • Keep refrigerators and freezer doors closed;
  • Turn off all major appliances such as air conditioners and pumps; and
  • Report the outage by calling 512-322-9100 or visiting the company online at www.outagemap.austinenergy.com.