STORM UPDATE: NOON
AmerenUE announced today that the company has restored most customers in 17 of the 34 towns affected by the severe ice storm that hit Southeast Missouri.
Most of the customers in another 12 towns can expect to get electric service today with almost all affected customers restored by end of day Wednesday.
Approximately 4,000 line workers, field checkers, tree trimmers and other support staffers are still working to repair damage from a storm that downed more than 5,000 poles and hundreds of lines earlier this week. Approximately 30,000 customers in UE's service territory have been restored. UE customers represented only a fraction of the total number of customers who lost power when a winter storm knocked out power to more than 1.3 million homes and businesses from Arkansas to Ohio.
The restoration schedule for the 5,700 UE customers still out of power is as follows:
To Be Restored by End of Day Today (Tuesday, Feb. 3)
• Gideon, Miner, Lilbourn; Morehouse; Portageville area (towns of Portageville, Conran, Rainbow City, Marston, Howardville); Steele (towns of Steele, Cooter, Holland).
Most Customers Restored by End of Day Wednesday:
• Deering (towns of Deering, Bragg City); Matthews (towns of Matthews, Canalou) and Wardell.
Customers in towns not listed who are not yet restored or in towns on this schedule who are not restored by the date listed on this schedule should call UE at 1-800-552-7583 to report that they are still out of power.
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WEATHERHEAD DAMAGE—STORM SAFETY:
Due to the ice storm's extensive damage to the electric service entrances at customers' homes, the services of an electrical contractor may be required to re-attach or repair customer-owned facilities, such as the meter base, weatherhead or point of attachment.
Any customer noticing damage to these facilities should call an electrical contractor to make repairs so utility workers can safely restore service. Not repairing this damage could delay restoration to the customer's home. Customers should contact 2-1-1 for more information regarding disaster-related needs, including weatherhead repair. If funding becomes available, call-takers will call you back or pass on information to the entity providing funding. Contact 2-1-1 by dialing 2-1-1 from a lanline or 1-800-427-4626 from cell phones.
In addition, customers should stay away from downed power wires caused by the storm. Ameren companies are working closely with city and state officials and emergency response personnel to coordinate restoration efforts and ensure customer safety.
This diagram shows the typical components of an electrical service entrance to a home or business. Due to ice storm damage, customers may need to make repairs to weatherhead or other components.
Additional storm safety information is available on the Storm Center on Ameren’s Web site – the first choice on the left navigation bar (www.ameren.com).
With residential electric retail rates that are more than 40 percent below the national average, UE provides electricity and natural gas to 1.2 million customers in Missouri.
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CONTACT: Susan Gallagher, 314.554.2175, or Mike Cleary, 573.681.7137, both of AmerenUE