ST. LOUIS, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire/ -- Most of AmerenUE's Missouri customers affected by the ice storms of the past few days are expected to be restored today. More than 1,100 outside lineworkers, 480 AmerenUE lineworkers, and 650 vegetation management personnel will continue to battle ice and debris in areas affected by the storms, where crews have already restored tens of thousands of customers. About 7,500 customers are still without power, down from a peak of about 45,000-primarily in the area from Jefferson City to the Lake of the Ozarks and in the eastern Missouri counties of Lincoln, Montgomery, Pike and Warren.
However, due to additional ice accumulation on Tuesday, primarily in western and northern areas of the state, and extensive damage remaining from the original storm, complete restoration is not expected until the end of the day Thursday.
AmerenUE notes that these estimates are based on current weather forecasts and are subject to change if weather conditions deteriorate. Assuming current conditions hold, AmerenUE offers the following estimates for power restoration in the key areas affected by this week's storm.
Power Restored by End of Day Today
-- Warren County (including Warrenton, Wright City, Jonesburg and High
Hill)
-- Lincoln County (including Moscow Mills, Troy, Old Monroe, Winfield and
Truxton)
-- Eldon and Lake of the Ozarks Area
Power Restored by End of Day Thursday
-- Pike County (including Louisiana, Bowling Green, New London, Elsberry
and Clarksville)
-- Montgomery County (including New Florence, Wellsville and Montgomery
City)-most restored today
-- Jefferson City and Ashland area (most restored by the end of the day
today)
AmerenUE continues to remind customers of the following safety tips:
-- Stay away from downed power lines and to report them to AmerenUE.
-- If you are without power and unable to get to a warm location, stay in
one room, wearing layers of clothing and wrapping up in blankets.
-- If using an alternate heat source, be sure to follow all instructions,
use fire safeguards and ensure proper ventilation.
-- If using a backup generator, follow all safety precautions listed in
the owner's manual and only use them in well-ventilated areas.
Other tips for customers' safety and for coping with winter power outages can be found on the Ameren Web site: http://www.ameren.com/.
AmerenUE serves 1.2 million electric customers and 125,000 natural gas customers in Missouri. It is a subsidiary of St. Louis-based Ameren Company. The Ameren companies serve 2.4 million electric customers and nearly one million natural gas customers in a 64,000-square mile area of Missouri and Illinois.
SOURCE: AmerenUE
CONTACT: Mike Cleary, +1-573-681-7137, mcleary@ameren.com, or Susan
Gallagher, +1-314-554-2175, sgallagher@ameren.com, both of AmerenUE
Web site: http://www.ameren.com/