Line crews from across the Midwest converged on Illinois in the aftermath of last week’s storms. Multiple tornadoes across the state led to over 400 downed power poles, knocking out power for more than 9,000 residents. Brian Bretsch, Public and Media Relations Manager at Ameren, reported last Thursday that the utility called in support from states such as Ohio, Kansas, Tennessee, Michigan, and Missouri.
“Right now, we have 1,500 resources, boots on the ground, working restoration efforts all the way from the west part of our service territory, the northwest part of our service territory from Galesburg all the way to the Indiana border. Lots of downed power poles right now. The count that I had last was nearly 400. Just strong winds, some tornadoes that we were waiting for the National Weather Service to identify as tornado related, but just lots of poles down. The poles are usually what slows down restoration efforts because setting one, on average, is between three and four hours. I can tell you we have crews from Kansas, Tennessee, Michigan, Ohio, and Missouri who are helping throughout our service territory with these restoration efforts.”
Ameren Illinois reminds customers if they see a downed power line, they should report it immediately at 800-755-5000. Always assume a downed line is live and highly dangerous, even if it is not sparking.
***Courtesy of farmweeknow.com***
