KIRKSVILLE, MO. -- Ameren Missouri repair crews are closing in on the remaining outages that resulted from storms this past Sunday night in the Kirksville area. By early Wednesday night, restoration is expected to be completed.
At its peak, approximately 15,000 customers in Kirksville and surrounding communities were without power. Ameren Missouri brought in approximately 550 workers for the Kirksville restoration. Assistance came from Kansas, Indiana, Wisconsin and throughout Missouri. The extent of the damage plus, in certain communities, the rising Fabius River, added to the restoration time. Flooding has saturated fields where power lines were downed and has made it difficult for heavy equipment to move in for repairs. In at least one instance, a tree-trimming helicopter was called in to assist with restoration. Since 2007, Ameren Missouri has more than doubled its annual tree-trimming budget to about $50 million a year. Downed trees and broken limbs are the leading cause of power outages during storms.
Wednesday, a little more than 48 hours after the storms, most customers have their power again. The final stages of power restoration efforts and cleanup work will continue until the work is finished.
Ameren Missouri appreciates customers’ understanding and patience during this extended restoration.
Ameren Missouri encourages the public to steer clear of broken poles and tree limbs and assume all downed power lines are energized. Outages, downed lines and other power-related issues should be called in to 1-800-552-7583.
Additional information is available at AmerenMissouri.com
As of 9:55 Wednesday morning, Macon Electric Cooperative reported approximately 350 of their customers were still without power. They have isolated remaining line outages to three challenging areas – north of Macon near Kellogg Ave (approximately 40 members), north of Bevier between Highway 3 and Highway O (approximately 40 members) and south of Shelbina (approximately 80 members).
They have six crews working to set poles and also have crews who are working to restore power to the individual outages that remain scattered throughout their system.
Additional information can be found at maconelectric.com
Information provided by Ameren Missouri and Macon Electric Cooperative
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