News Releases

7 p.m.

Tuesday, July 4

 

Hundreds of additional personnel from a neighboring state are in Missouri today to help restore power to Ameren Missouri customers.

 

Weather update: There is a medium threat for severe weather on Wednesday, July 5, throughout Ameren Missouri’s entire service territory. We anticipate the majority of customers from the weekend storm systems will be restored by the end of the day Wednesday, assuming continued safe working conditions and that weather conditions do not delay our progress. 

 

Today, on the July 4 holiday, we have a total of 1,300 people engaged in restoration -- including line workers, vegetation management, damage assessors, drone teams and safety representatives. This includes additional mutual aid crews from Illinois.

 

We’ve safely restored power to approximately 100,000 Missouri customers from the severe storm this past weekend.

• It will take some time to accomplish repairs for remaining customers.
• We will work to safely restore power to customers as soon as possible, 
• We anticipate restoration efforts will extend until Wednesday evening given the damage caused by several waves of powerful weather events.
• As we continue damage assessment, we are finding additional destruction of utility infrastructure after brush and debris are cleared. This has delayed restoration for some customers.
• As of 7 p.m. on Tuesday, around 21,000 customers are without power from the July 1 storm.
• Additional storms this evening in Jefferson County and Franklin County have resulted in an additional 7,000 customers added to overall customer outage total.
• The number of customers without power from both weather events is currently at 25,000 as of 7 p.m. See the Ameren outage map for the latest: www.ameren.com/outagemap

 

We estimate a total of more than 190 poles have been replaced or still require replacement.  Our crews are addressing significant tree and infrastructure damage caused by strong winds.  

• In difficult conditions such as downed tree limbs and challenging terrain, it takes at least four to five hours, sometimes longer, to clear a damaged utility pole and set a replacement.  

 

We also are seeing damage to transformers and substations.

 

Drone teams have been deployed to help pinpoint damage quickly and safely so our line crews can focus on restoration efforts.   

 

When prioritizing restoration work, Ameren Missouri works to restore power to equipment that serves the greatest number of customers and to critical facilities. Some of the restoration jobs involving critical facilities have required additional specialized equipment be brought to the scene, which has slowed some repairs in some cases. Learn more about how we restore power: Power Restoration - Ameren.com 

 

We understand that our customers are frustrated, and we ask for patience as our crews work to restore power. We also advise customers to always assume a downed wire is live. Be careful around pools of water. Stay clear of brush, shrubs and downed trees that may hide downed power lines.  

 

After outage restoration concludes, Ameren crews will continue to work to repair damaged equipment not impacting service and conduct general maintenance for several days to ensure the energy grid stays reliable.

 

As we work to secure power to our communities, we would like to remind homeowners that equipment attached directly to a house (such as conduit or the meter base) is the responsibility of the homeowner.  If a homeowner has experienced damage to this equipment, we may not be able to restore service until repairs have been made by a qualified electrician. More information on homeowner responsibilities can be found here.

 

WHAT CUSTOMERS CAN DO  

 

• To ensure we can provide you with the latest outage update, we must have your correct phone number or email address. Please create or log in to your Ameren account online to ensure your contact information is correct.   
• Customers can check the status of their restoration at Ameren.com or download the free Ameren app for updates as they become available. Sign up for alerts. Text REG to AMEREN (263736) to start or visit Ameren.com/Alerts.  
• When reporting an outage, please use the phone number associated with the account.  Entering a number that is not associated with the account will create an error message. 
• Customers can follow Ameren Missouri on Facebook and Twitter to get the latest information on what's happening with restoration efforts.   
• Be aware of scammers asking for payment to restore your utility service. If something feels off, hang up or close the door and call us. If you have questions about your account balance, please call Ameren directly. We are here to help.  

 

RESTORATION PRIORITIES

 

Priority one is to respond to life-threatening emergencies, such as downed-wires, and to handle all problems impacting critical infrastructure such as hospitals and other emergency response facilities – police and fire, and municipal systems.

 

Once power is restored to critical infrastructure, we focus on getting the most customers restored in the quickest and most efficient manner. Crews begin with main lines – those that can restore power to perhaps thousands of people – and then move to lines that affect individual homes and neighborhoods.

 

Because of their general location along primary power lines, homes in the same neighborhood may be restored at different times. It's also why businesses are sometimes restored first.

 

WEATHER CHALLENGES

• Highly destructive severe weather cut through the Midwest over a multi-day period last weekend, causing significant and widespread additional outages throughout Missouri.
• The entire Ameren Missouri service territory has been affected by the weather, with the St. Louis metropolitan area getting hit the hardest.
• We're continuously monitoring weather conditions for additional weather threats this week. As of Tuesday morning, there is a medium threat for severe weather on Wednesday, July 5, throughout Ameren Missouri’s entire service territory.

  

SAFETY 

• Safety is the first and foremost concern during any weather event. Stay clear of any downed power lines or poles. Always assume a downed wire is live. Be careful around pools of water. Stay clear of brush, shrubs and downed trees that may hide downed power lines. 
• Customers should report any downed power lines to the Ameren Missouri customer line: 800.552.7583.  
• If your power is out, check your circuit breakers or fuses – your service outage might be the result of a household problem. Avoid any risk of electrical shock and do not enter any flooded areas.   
• Create a plan for seeking shelter in the event of severe weather and discuss the plan with all members of the household.
• Keep phones and electronics charged when storms are in the forecast.
• Prepare a storm kit with emergency telephone numbers, flashlights and a radio with fresh batteries, along with bottled water and non-perishable foods that don't require heating. Also include medication and special items for infants, the elderly or family members with special needs.