Many still without power in Southeast Missouri, crews to work through weekend

Thousands of people were still without electric service in Southeast Missouri late Friday, most of them customers of rural electric cooperatives.

But the numbers are decreasing, and utilities say their crews will work through the weekend to get power to more homes.

The Black River Electric Cooperative, which serves customers in Bollinger and rural Cape Girardeau counties, still had about 1,200 of its members without power Friday afternoon, according to the cooperative's web site.

That number was down from about 3,400 members without power early Thursday night, down from the 14,000 without electricity at the height of the outages.

Just before 7 p.m. Friday, officials with Jackson's public utilities estimated about 300 customers were still offline. At the height of the outages Tuesday, about 5,500 to 6,000 of the city's 6,500 customers were without power.

Jackson crews will be working throughout the weekend to restore power to those still without it, but some may not come online until early next week due to extensive damage from fallen trees and limbs.

About 140 Citizens Electric Cooperative were without power Friday morning, the latest numbers the cooperative released. Citizens Electric serves Cape Girardeau County north and east of Jackson.

SEMO Electric Cooperative reported about 1,800 members were still without power in Bloomfield, Mo., Bell City, Mo., Advance, Mo., and areas around Jackson Friday morning. At the peak of the outages almost 8,000 cooperative members were without electricity.

At 4:45 p.m. Friday, 1,622 customers of the Southern Illinois Electric Cooperative based in Dongola, Ill., were still without power, down from 4,000 at noon Friday.

Just before 7 p.m. Friday AmerenUE reported only one customer without power in Cape Girardeau. AmerenCIPS in Illinois had restored power to its Southern Illinois customers.

Utilities still experiencing outages said they'll work through the weekend to get power restored to more customers. In Bollinger County, Black River Electric Cooperative says that could take several days.

Warming shelters remained open Friday at Immaculate Conception, 208 Hope St., in Jackson; the Salvation Army, 701 Good Hope St., in Cape Girardeau; and First Baptist Church, 502 Broadway in Marble Hill, Mo.