Collinsville, Ill. (June 28, 2018) – Ameren Illinois crews and contractors have been working to restore power to customers impacted by high winds and strong storms that moved through the service territory this afternoon and evening. The company activated its Emergency Operations Center (EOC) at 7:00 p.m. today to coordinate response efforts. Crews will be out assessing damage and making repairs throughout the evening.
First hit was the western part of the State, where crews have been working, and many are already restored. It is anticipated that customers in the areas of Mason City, Jacksonville and Jerseyville will be restored by midnight tonight. Resources are being called in from all around the territory to help restore the hardest-hit areas in the Metro East and southern parts of Illinois. Estimated Safe Restoration Times are not yet available in these areas. As soon as damage assessments are made, customers can view the outage map, or follow Ameren Illinois on social media channels including Facebook and Twitter for targeted restoration times.
“Our employees and external resources have been working as quickly and safely as possible to assess the damage, repair critical infrastructure, and get the power back on for our customers," said Richard J. Mark, president and Chairman, Ameren Illinois. "The central-west part of our territory was hit first and we have made great progress in a short amount of time. We will continue working until all our customers are restored."
As of 9:30 p.m. there were approximately 82,000 outages.
Safety Reminder
Residents are reminded to watch and avoid downed electrical wires. Furthermore, never go outside during a power outage after sunset because you won’t be able to see downed power line that could still be energized and dangerous. Stay away from brush, downed trees and limbs and any debris that may conceal downed power lines. Call Ameren Illinois at 800-755-5000 to report downed wires.
Customers can also sign up for text or email notifications once an outage has been reported. Visit Ameren.com/alerts. In addition to the safety and outage information available at AmerenIllinois.com/outage, customers and media can receive timely updates on outage restoration by following the Ameren Illinois on Facebook and Twitter.
In addition, extreme temperatures are expected tomorrow. Ameren Illinois encourages all customers and co-workers to stay hydrated, check on elderly family and neighbors, and visit area cooling centers if the home is not equipped with air conditioning.