St. Louis, MO (May 11, 2009) – AmerenUE continues its aggressive efforts to r
The storms, which brought hurricane-force winds, tornadoes and heavy rain, knocked out power to more than 23,600 customers in total. Strong winds did significant damage to the company’s poles, electrical wires and facilities.
As of 4:00 p.m. today, power had been restored to about 22,460 customers.
While extensive tree damage and rough terrain have slowed down restoration efforts to some rural communities, UE plans to restore service this evening to the following communities:
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· Belleview
· Ironton
· Pilot Knob
· Knob Lick
· Doe Run
Because of the rugged terrain and wide distribution of outages in rural areas, UE urges customers who are still without power tomorrow to call 1-800-552-7583 to report their outage.
UE again reminds customers that safety is the first and foremost concern.
The most important safety rule is to stay clear of downed power lines and always call UE at 1-800-552-7583 or 911 if you see downed lines. Assume all downed power lines are energized. Stay inside, especially at night because you may walk into an energized power line. Stay clear of brush, shrubs and downed trees that may hide downed lines.
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 about 38 percent below the national average, UE provides electricity and natural gas to 1.2 million customers in Missouri. UE’s parent, Ameren Corporation, through its affiliates, serves 2.4 million electric and nearly 1 million natural gas customers across 64,000 square miles of