ST. LOUIS (Sept. 2, 2018) – Ameren Missouri workers from across Missouri are heading to the East Coast to assist in repairing damage and restoring power outages anticipated as a result of Hurricane Dorian. Approximately 85 Ameren Missouri personnel including linemen, fleet, logistics and safety will assist crews from Charlotte, N.C.-based Duke Energy.
"Ameren Missouri customers have benefited many times from the assistance provided by crews from across the country as we have battled tornados, ice storms and other severe weather," said Mike Lewis, superintendent of reliability support services at Ameren Missouri. "We applaud and are extremely thankful to the families of Ameren Missouri co-workers who will step up to manage additional responsibilities while their loved ones are gone."
Ameren Missouri crews leave in the morning, initially bound for Raleigh. Once it is safe to begin restoration efforts, crews will fan out across the affected areas.
Ameren is a voluntary member of the electric power industry's mutual assistance network through the Edison Electric Institute. When called upon, a company will send either company employees, contractors or both, along with specialized equipment to help with the restoration efforts of a fellow company. In essence, it allows a utility hit by a major or catastrophic storm to expand its workforce by borrowing field personnel from other companies in unaffected areas. Ameren has helped with catastrophic events in other parts of the country such as Hurricane Florence in 2018, Hurricane Irma in 2017, Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Ameren Missouri has been providing electric and gas service for more than 100 years, and the company's electric rates are among the lowest in the nation. Ameren Missouri's mission is to power the quality of life for its 1.2 million electric and 127,000 natural gas customers in central and eastern Missouri. The company's service area covers 64 counties and more than 500 communities, including the greater St. Louis area. For more information, visit Ameren.com/Missouri or follow us on Twitter at @AmerenMissouri or Facebook.com/AmerenMissouri.