Mid-day power update: 3,100 without power in Bootheel counties

Around 3,100 Ameren Missouri customers in Southeast Missouri's Bootheel counties were without power as of 11:35 a.m. Friday, the company reported on its website.

Dunklin and New Madrid counties each had about 1,800 customers with no electricity, while Pemiscot County had 286.

At 1 p.m. SEMO Electric Coop reported that no customers were without power in Scott County, although numbers had previously been as high as 1,500 without power.

"Our main concern now is with galloping lines," said SEMO general manager Sean Vanslyke.

He explained that galloping lines is a phenomenon that occurs when ice forms on the lines and wind causes the lines to swing violently.

Galloping lines can cause lights to flicker and fuses to blow, Vanslyke said.

Vanslyke said six other coops from across the state came in Friday to assist with outages and damage caused by the winter storm.

No other counties had reported outages, despite heavy snow falling over much of the region.

About 1,100 people from the town of Gideon, Mo., had no power for almost five hours this morning, a city employee said, but power was restored about 9 a.m. Gideon is in New Madrid County.

Ameren Missouri deployed about 500 workers to Southeast Missouri, according to a news release, and St. Louis crews are prepared to deploy today, if they are needed.

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