Storms Cause Power Outages in San Antonio and Other Areas
Listen to the story
Thousands of people in San Antonio lost power on Thursday when strong storms moved through the city.
The storms caused a widespread power outage, meaning electricity stopped working for many homes and businesses at the same time.
Officials shared an outage map, a tool that shows exactly where power is off across a city or region.
This map helps utility companies see which areas need the most help.
The storms did not only affect San Antonio.
Washington County also reported a large power outage on the same day.
Many residents there were left without electricity as the storms passed through.
In the St. George area, more than 12,000 customers lost power.
A customer in this case means a household or business that pays for electricity from the power company.
Losing power during a storm can be dangerous, since it affects lights, heating, and other important services.
Utility crews usually work quickly to restore power after storms like this.
Restoring power means turning the electricity back on for people who lost it.
Storms can cause outages by damaging power lines or equipment.
Strong wind and rain often break tree branches, which can fall on power lines.
People affected by outages are usually asked to wait patiently while crews complete repairs.
It is not yet clear how long it took to fix all the outages mentioned.
Local news outlets continued to update outage maps as information changed.
Residents were advised to stay alert for further storm updates.
Vocabulary10 words
- power outage
- a time when electricity is not working
- outage map
- a map that shows where power is off
- utility
- a company that gives services like electricity or water
- residents
- people who live in a place
- customer
- a person who pays for a service
- utility crews
- workers who fix power or water systems
- restore
- to bring something back to normal
- widespread
- happening in many places at once
- damage
- harm done to something
- equipment
- tools or machines used for a job
Quiz
Answer key
1. Strong storms 2. Showing where power is off 3. More than 12,000
Fill-in-the-blank listening
Play the audio again and fill in the missing words as you listen.
Thousands of people in San Antonio lost power on Thursday when strong _____ moved through the city.
The storms caused a widespread power _____, meaning electricity stopped working for many homes and businesses.
Officials shared an outage _____, a tool that shows exactly where power is off.
This map helps _____ companies see which areas need the most help.
Washington County also reported a large power outage on the same day.
Many _____ there were left without electricity as the storms passed through.
In the St. George area, more than 12,000 _____ lost power.
Utility crews usually work quickly to _____ power after storms like this.
Strong wind and rain often break tree branches, which can fall on power _____.
Residents were advised to stay alert for further storm updates.
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