News Releases

The threat of flooding along the Mississippi River means that residents in Ameren’s Illinois and Missouri service areas must be aware of electrical and natural gas hazards that can occur during floods.

When water comes into contact with energized electrical wiring, natural gas equipment, appliances and other devices, it creates a threat of serious injury.

Ameren offers these key safety tips:

• Never enter a flooded basement or other flooded area where water may be in contact with electrical wiring, appliances and other devices.
• Under no circumstances should you attempt to turn off power at the main electrical panel box if you must stand in water or even on a wet floor to do so.
• Never operate electrical appliances or devices or touch electrical switches, outlets or cords if you are standing in water or are on a wet surface, or if you are wet.
• Keep all electric-powered tools and equipment at least 10 feet away from water and wet surfaces. Do not use electric tools and equipment outdoors if the ground is wet.
• If you detect a strong odor of natural gas, immediately leave your home or business and call Ameren Illinois at 800.755.5000 or Ameren Missouri at 800.552.7583. Do not turn lights on or off, operate any electrical devices, use a phone or light a match inside or near the building.
• If you detect a faint odor of natural gas, try to find its source. It may be an extinguished pilot light or a partially turned on burner valve. These problems can be easily fixed, but if you feel you cannot fix them, leave your home or business and call Ameren.
   

In the event of flooding in or around your home or business, call Ameren to have service turned off when the flood waters are likely to reach service equipment. Your service may also be turned off at the request of local authorities when flood waters threaten a community.

For more tips, visit Ameren.com/safety.

###

St. Louis-based Ameren Corporation powers the quality of life for 2.4 million electric customers and more than 900,000 natural gas customers in a 64,000-square-mile area through its Ameren Missouri and Ameren Illinois rate-regulated utility subsidiaries. Ameren Illinois provides electric delivery and transmission service as well as natural gas delivery service while Ameren Missouri provides vertically integrated electric service, with generating capacity of 10,300 megawatts, and natural gas delivery service. Ameren Transmission Company of Illinois develops regional electric transmission projects. Follow the company on Twitter @AmerenCorp. For more information, visit Ameren.com.