San Antonio storm recovery: Two deaths investigated, thousands without power, schools announce Monday plans
By TPR Staff
August 30, 2026 at 7:45 PM CDT
This story was last updated at 9:00 p.m. on Aug. 30, 2026.
San Antonio police said Sunday they are investigating two deaths related to Friday night’s severe storm.
In one incident, two people were caught in rushing water in San Pedro Creek north of downtown. One made it out safely. The other, a 46-year-old woman, was found dead Saturday night after emergency crews searched the area.
Acting Police Chief Jesse Salame said the medical examiner is reviewing the circumstances of her death, which is being investigated as a drowning.
Police are also investigating a possible drowning involving a man in his 50s who was found at Woodlawn Park Sunday morning.
Recovery efforts continued Sunday as crews cleared storm damage and CPS Energy worked to restore electricity.
As of 9:00 p.m. Sunday, 7,690 customers remained without power, down from tens of thousands on Saturday and 112,000 at the height of the storm.
City and CPS Energy crews reported significant progress Sunday, including more than 100 downed wires repaired overnight, 290 fallen trees removed or picked up, and 82 traffic signals restored.
City officials extended resilience hubs, which offer cooling, power, device charging, Wi-Fi, basic supplies, medication refrigeration and space for pets, until at least noon Monday. VIA continued offering free rides to the hubs.
The city also announced extra garbage collection Monday in two storm-affected neighborhoods and extended its waiver of brush-disposal fees through Saturday, Sept. 5. Meals and cold water were being provided Sunday at the San Juan Brady Center, 2307 S. Calaveras St.
Our Lady of the Lake University canceled Monday classes and closed its San Antonio campus because of storm-related outages, damage and cleanup. The university said it will announce by 3 p.m. Monday whether campus operations and classes will resume Tuesday.
San Antonio College said it will be open Monday.
San Antonio, South San, and Edgewood ISDs said their schools will operate on a normal schedule Monday. Southwest ISD said all campuses will also open except Medio Creek Elementary and Sun Valley Elementary, which will remain closed because they are still without power.
SAISD said district teams were inspecting campuses Sunday as CPS Energy continued working to restore service. Edgewood said meals will be served as usual and counselors will be available for students who need additional support. Southwest ISD said it is working with CPS Energy and will update families at the two affected schools once power is restored.
See real-time power outage information: CPS outage map
CPS Energy Interim President and CEO Frank Almaraz warned that some customers could remain without electricity for several days.
“We have down lines, broken poles and fallen trees. Some of these outages are going to extend several days,” Almaraz said in a Saturday press conference. “So please begin making plans now.”
At Taqueria Chapala Jalisco off McCullough Avenue north of downtown, dozens of people without power gathered Saturday to cool off and charge their phones and other devices. A hostess said the restaurant had been packed throughout the day with people looking for relief from homes without electricity.
Cindy Rodriguez-Martinez, a North Side resident, said she was still shaken by Friday night’s storm. The power went out at her theater just before the second act of her sold-out play, “Aye, No!,” was about to begin. The drive home was even more unsettling.
“Then on the way home that was the scariest thing ever, because I was traveling in all black,” Rodriguez-Martinez said. “As I’m driving, I'm praying for everything.”
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She said she encountered downed power lines, flooded streets and car crashes along the way. Her daughter, Nicki Martinez, had planned to move into a new home Saturday night with help from friends after their shifts. With her mother still without electricity, the family now planned to leave behind a mattress so Rodriguez-Martinez and her grandson could stay with Martinez in air conditioning.
Other families were trying to salvage food before it spoiled. Yesenia Cortez, who was cooling off at the restaurant with her three young children, said she had already thrown out the contents of her refrigerator. At the time, families were still waiting to learn whether schools would open Monday, with several districts not announcing their plans until Sunday.
“If they don't have school, then I don't really know what I'm gonna do for work because I don’t have anybody to be watching them,” Cortez said.
Nearby, Cleo Booker carried a small bag of ice back to his apartment, hoping to save meat from his refrigerator. Booker said he has lived in San Antonio since 2010 and had experienced brief outages before, but never anything approaching several days.
“It’s never happened,” Booker said. “When we have heavy rain through here or heavy wind, light might go off, but it'll be right back on in about an hour or so.”
Untitled
In a preliminary storm report, the National Weather Service said widespread tree damage occurred in a corridor stretching from northeast Bexar County through central San Antonio into southwest Bexar County. Emergency managers also reported scattered damage to fences, power lines, power poles and some roofs.
On the West Side, traffic lights were ripped from their supports, and residents worked Saturday morning to remove fallen trees from their homes. Damage was also reported north of downtown. San Antonio College canceled Saturday classes following the storm.
Diana Amador said conditions were calm when she left her West Side home earlier Friday evening, but she returned to darkness and a fallen tree blocking her way inside.
“As I was coming down towards my home, it was pitch black. It was very dark. I've never seen this before,” Amador said. “And then when I got here, I saw the tree collapse, and then I couldn't go in.”
Amador said she had seen no rain where she was and didn’t expect to return to that kind of damage.
A Texaco gas station canopy collapsed onto vehicles during severe storms on San Antonio’s North Side Friday night, Aug. 28, 2026 (2048x1536, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
See Bexar County road closures: BexarFlood.org
The Weather Service said the damage was consistent with straight-line winds. Measured wind speeds reached 50 to 65 mph, with pockets of winds around 75 mph estimated from radar and the resulting damage. A peak gust of 77 mph was recorded at San Antonio International Airport.
https://x.com/nwssanantonio/status/2093788755526119720?s=46&t=5Cg9uCBPJLovYWrDtPaPZQ
People whose medical equipment is affected by an outage should call 911 in an emergency or 311 for nonemergency help. Residents can also submit nonemergency requests through the city’s online 311 portal or the 311SA mobile app.
Resilience hubs, cooling centers and free rides
Libraries and community centers are also available as daytime cooling locations during regular operating hours.
The city is operating six resilience hubs, which provide emergency resources such as access to power, device charging, Wi-Fi and other basic needs. Residents without power who need refrigeration for medication can use a resilience hub or call the CPS Energy Customer Response Unit at 210-353-2783 for assistance.
City officials said the resilience centers will remain open until at least noon Monday as recovery efforts continue. The city said 84 people stayed overnight Saturday, and the hubs accommodated 18 pets. Officials will reassess conditions Monday to determine whether the centers need to remain open longer.
Residents staying overnight are asked to bring clothes, supplies and medication. Kennels will be available for pets in separate areas.
The six resilience centers are the Normoyle Community Center, Garza Community Center, Miller’s Pond Community Center, Copernicus Community Center, Southside Lions Senior Center and Northeast Senior Center.
VIA Metropolitan Transit is providing free transportation to cooling centers and overnight resilience hubs. Anyone who needs transportation assistance can call 311 or 210-207-6000.
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Crews are continuing to clear downed trees and debris from streets and other public rights-of-way.
Residents were also pitching in. Michelle Carrillo said neighbors in her West Side area came together Saturday to cut up fallen trees and help one another clean up.
“We've had a lot of people from the community come out. All the neighbors have come out to help cut this tree down, stack it up, worry about everybody's house,” Carrillo said. “One neighbor will help another.”
Carrillo said Saturday that her family had been told their electricity could remain out for two or three days.
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The Bitters Brush Facility at 1800 Wurzbach Parkway is waiving disposal fees for storm-related brush through Saturday, Sept. 5.
Crews will also provide an extra garbage collection Monday for residents in the Five Points and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. Residents should place eligible food waste, debris and other garbage in their brown carts at the curb by 7 a.m. Regular Wednesday collection will continue as scheduled.
Residents are also being asked to report storm damage to homes, businesses and agricultural property through the state’s iSTAT damage survey. Officials said the reports help emergency managers assess the extent of the damage but do not replace an insurance claim or guarantee disaster assistance.
A San Antonio Public Works crew repairs a traffic signal Saturday following severe storms that caused widespread power outages and damage across the city. (5712x4284, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
CPS Energy is urging residents to take precautions during prolonged outages, including operating generators outdoors and away from doors and windows, treating all downed power lines as live, and keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
As outages continued, some families tried to use food before it spoiled. Annalisa Rodriguez gathered with about 15 relatives Saturday for a cookout after several family members lost power.
“The meat I have in a cooler that I’m taking to my family,” Rodriguez said. “We have no choice because a lot of it thawed out.”
She said she had already thrown out dairy products and expected to lose more food if power was not restored soon.
Joey Palacios, Jerry Clayton, Yvette Benavides and Dan Katz of Texas Public Radio, and Eleanor Fitzgerald of the San Antonio Report, contributed to this report.
San Antonio police said Sunday they are investigating two deaths related to Friday night’s severe storm.
In one incident, two people were caught in rushing water in San Pedro Creek north of downtown. One made it out safely. The other, a 46-year-old woman, was found dead Saturday night after emergency crews searched the area.
Acting Police Chief Jesse Salame said the medical examiner is reviewing the circumstances of her death, which is being investigated as a drowning.
Police are also investigating a possible drowning involving a man in his 50s who was found at Woodlawn Park Sunday morning.
Recovery efforts continued Sunday as crews cleared storm damage and CPS Energy worked to restore electricity.
As of 9:00 p.m. Sunday, 7,690 customers remained without power, down from tens of thousands on Saturday and 112,000 at the height of the storm.
City and CPS Energy crews reported significant progress Sunday, including more than 100 downed wires repaired overnight, 290 fallen trees removed or picked up, and 82 traffic signals restored.
City officials extended resilience hubs, which offer cooling, power, device charging, Wi-Fi, basic supplies, medication refrigeration and space for pets, until at least noon Monday. VIA continued offering free rides to the hubs.
The city also announced extra garbage collection Monday in two storm-affected neighborhoods and extended its waiver of brush-disposal fees through Saturday, Sept. 5. Meals and cold water were being provided Sunday at the San Juan Brady Center, 2307 S. Calaveras St.
Our Lady of the Lake University canceled Monday classes and closed its San Antonio campus because of storm-related outages, damage and cleanup. The university said it will announce by 3 p.m. Monday whether campus operations and classes will resume Tuesday.
San Antonio College said it will be open Monday.
San Antonio, South San, and Edgewood ISDs said their schools will operate on a normal schedule Monday. Southwest ISD said all campuses will also open except Medio Creek Elementary and Sun Valley Elementary, which will remain closed because they are still without power.
SAISD said district teams were inspecting campuses Sunday as CPS Energy continued working to restore service. Edgewood said meals will be served as usual and counselors will be available for students who need additional support. Southwest ISD said it is working with CPS Energy and will update families at the two affected schools once power is restored.
See real-time power outage information: CPS outage map
CPS Energy Interim President and CEO Frank Almaraz warned that some customers could remain without electricity for several days.
“We have down lines, broken poles and fallen trees. Some of these outages are going to extend several days,” Almaraz said in a Saturday press conference. “So please begin making plans now.”
At Taqueria Chapala Jalisco off McCullough Avenue north of downtown, dozens of people without power gathered Saturday to cool off and charge their phones and other devices. A hostess said the restaurant had been packed throughout the day with people looking for relief from homes without electricity.
Cindy Rodriguez-Martinez, a North Side resident, said she was still shaken by Friday night’s storm. The power went out at her theater just before the second act of her sold-out play, “Aye, No!,” was about to begin. The drive home was even more unsettling.
“Then on the way home that was the scariest thing ever, because I was traveling in all black,” Rodriguez-Martinez said. “As I’m driving, I'm praying for everything.”
null
She said she encountered downed power lines, flooded streets and car crashes along the way. Her daughter, Nicki Martinez, had planned to move into a new home Saturday night with help from friends after their shifts. With her mother still without electricity, the family now planned to leave behind a mattress so Rodriguez-Martinez and her grandson could stay with Martinez in air conditioning.
Other families were trying to salvage food before it spoiled. Yesenia Cortez, who was cooling off at the restaurant with her three young children, said she had already thrown out the contents of her refrigerator. At the time, families were still waiting to learn whether schools would open Monday, with several districts not announcing their plans until Sunday.
“If they don't have school, then I don't really know what I'm gonna do for work because I don’t have anybody to be watching them,” Cortez said.
Nearby, Cleo Booker carried a small bag of ice back to his apartment, hoping to save meat from his refrigerator. Booker said he has lived in San Antonio since 2010 and had experienced brief outages before, but never anything approaching several days.
“It’s never happened,” Booker said. “When we have heavy rain through here or heavy wind, light might go off, but it'll be right back on in about an hour or so.”
Untitled
In a preliminary storm report, the National Weather Service said widespread tree damage occurred in a corridor stretching from northeast Bexar County through central San Antonio into southwest Bexar County. Emergency managers also reported scattered damage to fences, power lines, power poles and some roofs.
On the West Side, traffic lights were ripped from their supports, and residents worked Saturday morning to remove fallen trees from their homes. Damage was also reported north of downtown. San Antonio College canceled Saturday classes following the storm.
Diana Amador said conditions were calm when she left her West Side home earlier Friday evening, but she returned to darkness and a fallen tree blocking her way inside.
“As I was coming down towards my home, it was pitch black. It was very dark. I've never seen this before,” Amador said. “And then when I got here, I saw the tree collapse, and then I couldn't go in.”
Amador said she had seen no rain where she was and didn’t expect to return to that kind of damage.
A Texaco gas station canopy collapsed onto vehicles during severe storms on San Antonio’s North Side Friday night, Aug. 28, 2026 (2048x1536, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
See Bexar County road closures: BexarFlood.org
The Weather Service said the damage was consistent with straight-line winds. Measured wind speeds reached 50 to 65 mph, with pockets of winds around 75 mph estimated from radar and the resulting damage. A peak gust of 77 mph was recorded at San Antonio International Airport.
https://x.com/nwssanantonio/status/2093788755526119720?s=46&t=5Cg9uCBPJLovYWrDtPaPZQ
People whose medical equipment is affected by an outage should call 911 in an emergency or 311 for nonemergency help. Residents can also submit nonemergency requests through the city’s online 311 portal or the 311SA mobile app.
Resilience hubs, cooling centers and free rides
Libraries and community centers are also available as daytime cooling locations during regular operating hours.
The city is operating six resilience hubs, which provide emergency resources such as access to power, device charging, Wi-Fi and other basic needs. Residents without power who need refrigeration for medication can use a resilience hub or call the CPS Energy Customer Response Unit at 210-353-2783 for assistance.
City officials said the resilience centers will remain open until at least noon Monday as recovery efforts continue. The city said 84 people stayed overnight Saturday, and the hubs accommodated 18 pets. Officials will reassess conditions Monday to determine whether the centers need to remain open longer.
Residents staying overnight are asked to bring clothes, supplies and medication. Kennels will be available for pets in separate areas.
The six resilience centers are the Normoyle Community Center, Garza Community Center, Miller’s Pond Community Center, Copernicus Community Center, Southside Lions Senior Center and Northeast Senior Center.
VIA Metropolitan Transit is providing free transportation to cooling centers and overnight resilience hubs. Anyone who needs transportation assistance can call 311 or 210-207-6000.
null
Crews are continuing to clear downed trees and debris from streets and other public rights-of-way.
Residents were also pitching in. Michelle Carrillo said neighbors in her West Side area came together Saturday to cut up fallen trees and help one another clean up.
“We've had a lot of people from the community come out. All the neighbors have come out to help cut this tree down, stack it up, worry about everybody's house,” Carrillo said. “One neighbor will help another.”
Carrillo said Saturday that her family had been told their electricity could remain out for two or three days.
null
The Bitters Brush Facility at 1800 Wurzbach Parkway is waiving disposal fees for storm-related brush through Saturday, Sept. 5.
Crews will also provide an extra garbage collection Monday for residents in the Five Points and Beacon Hill neighborhoods. Residents should place eligible food waste, debris and other garbage in their brown carts at the curb by 7 a.m. Regular Wednesday collection will continue as scheduled.
Residents are also being asked to report storm damage to homes, businesses and agricultural property through the state’s iSTAT damage survey. Officials said the reports help emergency managers assess the extent of the damage but do not replace an insurance claim or guarantee disaster assistance.
A San Antonio Public Works crew repairs a traffic signal Saturday following severe storms that caused widespread power outages and damage across the city. (5712x4284, AR: 1.3333333333333333)
CPS Energy is urging residents to take precautions during prolonged outages, including operating generators outdoors and away from doors and windows, treating all downed power lines as live, and keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible.
As outages continued, some families tried to use food before it spoiled. Annalisa Rodriguez gathered with about 15 relatives Saturday for a cookout after several family members lost power.
“The meat I have in a cooler that I’m taking to my family,” Rodriguez said. “We have no choice because a lot of it thawed out.”
She said she had already thrown out dairy products and expected to lose more food if power was not restored soon.
Joey Palacios, Jerry Clayton, Yvette Benavides and Dan Katz of Texas Public Radio, and Eleanor Fitzgerald of the San Antonio Report, contributed to this report.