Bollinger County power likely down until Wednesday

The ice storm that blew into Bollinger County and most of Southeast Missouri Monday morning downed power lines, causing a loss of electric power from one end of Bollinger County to the other.

Marble Hill Fire and Rescue set up a command post at city hall to respond to calls throughout the storm. Carla Watt at city hall said the firemen had been "out working all through the night."

Fireman Tom Binnie was running the command post Tuesday afternoon, waiting to hear from Black River Electric for a report.

"Our dispatch has been talking to their dispatch and we just haven't heard a time frame as far as when the power will be back on," Binnie said. He said the biggest problem the county faced from the storm was

the clean up of downed trees and power lines.

Black River Electric was unreachable for comment, but the company's Web site reported that all available crews as well as contractors and tree trimming crews were working to restore power. While predictions are difficult to make, those affected members should not expect power before Wednesday, the Web site said. It advised those with medical equipment or special needs to make alternate arrangements.

Binnie said as of Tuesday afternoon highways 51 and 34 were passable, but the secondary roads were almost all blocked.

"On the highways there are some spots you can get through just one lane," he said.

Two warming centers were set up to aid those without power according to Calvin Troxell, Marble Hill's assistant fire chief. Troxell estimated half the county was without power. New Salem

Baptist Church on Highway 51 north of Marble Hill and the First Baptist Church of Marble Hill, 502 Broadway in Marble Hill, Troxell said. Both centers were set up to house people overnight.

"We are trying to keep people safe and get them to a warm area if they don't have heat," Troxell said Tuesday morning. "We are expecting winds this afternoon and we are putting more things in place for tonight."

For help reaching the warming center, Troxell said to call the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department at 573-238-2633.

Misty Stevens, a dispatcher with the Bollinger County Sheriff's Department, said Tuesday afternoon there were no vehicle accidents with injuries caused by the ice storm.

"We've had calls of downed trees and power lines and we've had a few trucks go off the road," she said. "They were able to get help and go on their way."

Deputy Kevin Otte said the trees also caused structural damage to some homes.

The National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky., said icy conditions are likely to continue for a few days as temperatures struggle to reach far above freezing. They expect minor to moderate flooding to continue

in area rivers through the week and encourage residents to pay attention to flood warnings and spotters to continue relaying reports.