Ameren, Jackson make progress in restoring power

AmerenUE is making steady progress toward getting power restored to customers in the Cape Girardeau area and in other parts of Southeast Missouri.

As of 6:10 a.m. today, 6,400 AmerenUE customers were still without power in the 63701 and 63703 Cape Girardeau ZIP codes. In the Jackson area 851 AmerenUE customers were still without power out of 1,191 customers. Smaller numbers were without power in Scott County towns like Chaffee and Scott City, and in other towns like Dexter, Mo., and Bernie, Mo.

The Cape Girardeau numbers have fallen significantly from the 9,625 without power at 5 p.m. Tuesday, down to about the same number without power as early Tuesday morning, before icy tree branches started knocking down power lines in Cape Girardeau throughout the day.

AmerenUE spokesman Tim Fox estimated about 8,600 customers in Missouri were still without power Wednesday morning, down from a high of about 16,000 to 17,000 on Tuesday.

Most people will get power back today, Fox said, but the rest should have power by Thursday.

About 600 AmerenUE personnel and contractors have come to Southeast Missouri from other areas to get power back up to disconnected customers, said Fox, and another 250 will get to the area today.

But the situation can be nerve-wracking, Fox said, as icy tree limbs continue to break lines that have already been repaired.

"Some people may have their power on only to have it go off again …" Fox said. "It's frustrating for us, too."

In some cases, Fox said AmerenUE workers actually see branches take down lines they've just repaired.

Fox said the lower population density and smaller concentrated area of this storm may be the reason utility crews are making more progress in restoring power than in past ice storms like the one in St. Louis last year that left hundreds of thousands of homes without power.

Chuck Reed, electric operations manager with Jackson's public utilities, said about 75 percent of the utility's 6,500 customers had powered restored by 10 a.m. today. He expected that rate to reach 90 percent by the end of the day.

Two power circuits were still out at 10 a.m., Reed said, affecting the east side of Jackson and an area in the middle of town, including city hall.

In Illinois, 965 AmerenCIPS customers in Anna where without power as of 9:40 a.m., down from 2,100 at 4 p.m. Tuesday. Across Southern Illinois from Anna to Mounds, 2,336 customers were without power at 9:40 a.m. today.

By 9:30 a.m. Wednesday about 6,100 members of the Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative, based in Dongola, were without power.

For a map of outages in AmerenUE's service area go to the company's Web site.

A map of outages in AmerenCIPS' coverage area in Illinois is also available.

More updates will be posted throughout the day at semissourian.com.