Most of area to have power by end of Wednesday

Thousands of people in Southeast Missouri remain without power a week after ice and snow swept through the area, damaging 4,000 electric poles and causing six weather-related deaths in Missouri. But utility crews continue to work feverishly to restore power, and shelters remain open for those residents who are struggling to keep warm.

As of 6:50 p.m. Monday, 8,116 AmerenUE customers were still in the dark in Missouri, but a news release from the St. Louis-based power company said power was expected to be fully restored in 19 Southeast Missouri towns by Monday night, and another 11 towns by the end of today. All 34 towns affected should have power by the end of Wednesday.

But some customers, such as those of SEMO Electric Cooperative, may be waiting longer. A news release Monday morning said an estimated 2,600 poles are on the ground or in need of replacement, and the widespread damage could make it two more weeks before power is restored in some areas. The cooperative urged members to make long-term plans.

The cost of travel and hotels has forced many people into shelters. American Red Cross Southeast Missouri Chapter executive director Cheryl Klueppel said that as of Monday, the organization had served more than 18,000 meals and had 6,000 overnight stays cumulatively since last week. She said eight Red Cross shelters are still open.

Sikeston had more than 200 people in shelters Sunday night, with 140 people at Miner Baptist Church, around 50 people at the high school's Field House and 20 special needs people at the Missouri Delta Medical Center, according to Joel Evans of the Scott County Emergency Management team. Evans said the Sikeston shelters may be consolidated this week.

"We're really close to the max capacity if we combine them, but most likely we will move the Field House shelter to Miner Baptist Church," he said.

Helping pets

The shelters may offer refuge for residents, but displaced pet owners are seeking places where they can temporarily leave their pets. The Humane Society of Missouri in St. Louis has stepped in to offer assistance.

The group's Disaster Response Team set up animal rescue operations Friday, taking 60 animals from the Caruthersville, Mo., shelter, which had no electricity or water.

They also set up an emergency shelter in New Madrid, aiding people in the hard-hit counties of New Madrid, Butler and Pemiscot.

Effect at Southeast

In addition to displacing families and their pets, the outages mean another week off for several college students.

Southeast Missouri State University's regional campuses in Sikeston, Malden and Kennett are closed for a second week. The university decided to extend the spring semester by one week for those campuses, setting final exams for May 18 through 21.

Malden campus director Dr. Rick Hux said the courses have a well-defined curriculum that requires accountability for every hour of class.

"Most of the curriculums in the syllabus now require a specific amount of documented material be taught. To get that done we have to have be in class almost every minute," he said.

The main campus of Three Rivers Community College in Poplar Bluff and its campuses in Campbell, Kennett, Malden, Portageville and Sikeston will also be closed through Saturday.

Red Cross contacts

For anyone still in need of assistance, contact the Red Cross at 866-438-4636. Klueppel said the organization is encouraging the community to give to the Red Cross disaster relief fund.

To make a donation, call 800-733-2767 or go to www.redcross.org.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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