TOPEKA, Kansas - More than 9,000 Westar Energy customers lost power early Friday morning, just after midnight. Westar officials said they lost power to two substations, causing the outage. By 10:00 a.m. Friday, all customers had power restored.

The Adjutant General's Department said Thursday that snow and ice in Kansas resulted in power outages for Westar and KCP&L customers Thursday evening. As of 9 p.m., approximately 500 customers were without power in Johnson County, approximately 900 in Franklin County and more than 100 in Woodson County. Residents in Anderson, Coffey and Douglas County were without power earlier Thursday evening and there have been small outages reported around the state throughout the day.

Snowfall accumulations since Tuesday ranged from an inch in parts to as much as seven inches in north western / north central Kansas with additional snow expected through Christmas Day. Temperatures will be bitterly cold near and below zero and strong winds resulting in blowing and drifting snow will make travel treacherous.

“We discourage anyone from traveling overnight,” said Maj. Gen. Tod Bunting, director of Kansas Division of Emergency Management and the Kansas Adjutant General. “If you must be on the road, it is critical you have a full tank of gas and take emergency supplies with you including water, food, medicine, blankets and a cell phone. In these conditions, it could take emergency workers longer to reach you should you need assistance.”

The weather is to blame for five fatalities on Kansas highways since Tuesday night. For information on road conditions, call 511 in Kansas or go to http://511.ksdot.org. If outside the state, call 1-866-511-5368 for conditions.

The State Emergency Operations Center in Topeka elevated to a Level 2 status today, (which involves bringing in additional state agency support to ensure it can provide state resources to counties if local resources are overwhelmed.

The Kansas National Guard notified soldiers and airmen Tuesday to be ready to assist the state with emergency response. Resources the Guard could be asked to provide during this winter storm include health and welfare checks in rural areas with impassable roads, search and rescue, shelters, cots and water for shelters, communication support and generator support for critical infrastructure such as shelters, hospitals and nursing homes.