Thousands of Austin Energy customers in southeast Austin started their Monday in the dark after a sudden string of overnight outages cut power to homes and small businesses near Onion Creek Metropolitan Park. Utility crews were working the scene early in the morning while officials tried to pin down what triggered the blackout and how quickly service could be restored.
According to CBS Austin, Austin Energy's online outage map showed seven active outages affecting 5,763 customers as of 6:32 a.m., with most of the trouble spots clustered around Onion Creek Metropolitan Park. CBS Austin reported that the cause was still unclear and that the station had asked Austin Energy for more information.
Where the outages were centered
The hardest-hit areas were neighborhoods wrapped around Onion Creek Metropolitan Park, a roughly 517-acre regional park in southeast Austin, according to the City of Austin Parks and Recreation. The park's southern and northern entrances, listed by the city at 8652 Nuckols Crossing Road and 6800 Onion Creek Drive, sit amid residential blocks that reported early-morning AC failures and some minor business interruptions. Residents said the timing, with the city pushing through a hot stretch this week, only heightened their frustration over keeping the power on.
Not tied to planned downtown work
The southeast Austin outages do not appear to be related to a separate planned overnight shutdown in downtown and West Campus that started at 11 p.m. Sunday, CBS Austin reported. That scheduled cutover, listed on the state shutdown calendar as running from 11 p.m. July 12 to about 5 a.m. July 13, was part of the Repowering Downtown project and was intended to upgrade grid equipment for long-term reliability, according to the state shutdown calendar.
How to check and what to expect
Customers can track restoration progress on Austin Energy's outage map and report problems through the utility's customer care line. The city's Active Emergency Information Hub lists cooling centers and heat-safety resources for people stuck without AC for extended periods. Officials are reminding residents to steer clear of any downed lines and to call 311 or Austin Energy if they spot hazards while crews work to bring the lights back on.
