Southeast Missouri communities deal with extensive power outages

Communities throughout Southeast Missouri continue to deal with numerous power outages caused by a winter storm that has brought a mixture of ice, sleet and some snow that began falling Monday evening.

New Madrid County has the most power outages of any county in the state, with 3,425 AmerenUE customers, or 68 percent of its county customer base. That’s up from 2,417 without power at 10 a.m.

Other areas without power as of 10:30 a.m. include Dunklin with 1,058, or 32 percent of the county customer base, Stoddard with 1,054, Pemiscot with 703, Mississippi with 653, and Scott with 333.

Meanwhile, 3400 members of SEMO Electric Cooperative are without power. Communications manager Glenn Cantrell said power outages began at 1 a.m. today but intensified around 4 a.m. Cantrell expects that number to grow as the day progresses.

He said SEMO Electric Coop’s contractor, its tree trimmer contractor and cooperatives from other areas are assisting in the power restoration efforts.

"But make plans for an extended outage," Cantrell said. "It may take a while so be patient."

Two shelters in Scott County - Miner Baptist Church in Sikeston and the VFW hall in Scott City - are equipped with supplies but have not been activated yet. Another shelter at First Baptist Church in Sikeston has been opened for residents without power. Scott County emergency operations director Joel Evans said supplies will be sent to Perkins later this morning. During the February 2008 ice storm Perkins was one of the last communities in the county to have power restored, Evans said.

"We’ve done great so far," Evans said. "But it remains to be seen what mother nature brings in the next day or so."

Melissa Scobey of the New Madrid County Sheriff’s Department said that while no serious motor vehicle accidents were reported on the roadways, travel is not recommended.

"It’s hectic," Scobey said. "The roadways are pretty icy but our problem is our power outages."

Sgt. Jason Selzer, spokesman for the Cape Girardeau Police Department, said between 15 and 16 traffic crashes occurred from 5 p.m. Monday to 7 a.m. today, though none of the accidents resulted in injuries. Police also assisted between 15 and 16 cars who were stuck in ditches throughout the city.

The Missouri State Highway Patrol Troop E has reported two crashes due to icy roads.

The first wreck occurred at approximately 12:20 a.m. near Steele, Mo., as Jessyca Wilbourn, 19, of Steele, lost control of her 1994 Pontiac on an ice covered bridge and ran off the highway.

Wilbourn suffered moderate injuries and was taken by ambulance to Pemiscot Memorial Hospital in Hayti, Mo.

The second wreck occurred at approximately 6:50 a.m. near New Madrid, Mo., as Tristan McCollam, 46, of Chaska, Minn., ran off the roadway and struck a guardrail due to an ice covered roadway.

McCollam suffered no injuries. McCollam’s passenger, Theodora Szymanski, 53, of Joliet, Ill., suffered minor injuries and was taken by ambulance to

Missouri Delta Hospital in Sikeston, Mo.

Law enforcement in Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Perry County and Bollinger County reported no accidents on the roadways this morning. Bollinger County Sheriff’s Department dispatcher Tim Upchurch advised motorists not to drive on county roadways.

In Jackson, public works director Rodney Bollinger said crews worked all night in shifts to keep the roads as clear as possible. But he said the changing weather from freezing rain to sleet to light snow is causing "nasty conditions everywhere."

Bollinger said crews continually plow the arterials and collector streets and have started work on several local roads.

"But it may take all day for crews and equipment to visit every local street in town," Bollinger said. "The best advice I can give is one that keeps getting repeated by all of the news folks - stay off the roads unless you have to get out."

In addition to clearing Jackson’s streets, Bollinger said city crews will pick up most residents’ trash as usual this morning. However, if slippery conditions persist Bollinger said trash collection will continue through Wednesday.

Scott County emergency operations director Joel Evans said only a couple of motor vehicle accidents since midnight. He said that a few reports of limbs and trees in the roadways have been reported.

The weather caused serious damage to at least one business in the county this morning. At around 3:30 a.m., store employees of Rhodes 101 convenience store at 535 N. Main St. in Sikeston reported to the city department of public safety that a large amount of water began coming through the ceiling. Sgt. Jim McMillen with the department of public safety said the store had to be closed because of the damage and will be closed for an undetermined amount of time.

McMillen said residents should remain off the roadways until they are safe for travel.

"If at all possible, we ask that you remain home," McMillen said in a press release. "Please don’t get out and put yourself in harms way unnecessarily. Some roads in the area are very slick and it doesn’t appear we will be getting any relief from the weather today." 

About an inch and a half of ice with a topping of light snow fell over Bollinger County overnight.

Missouri Department of Transportation trucks were out Monday preparing the state highways 51 and 34, but mostly roads are slick and dangerous. All schools have called off classes and even businesses have closed.

A dispatcher for the Bollinger County Sheriff’s Department said Tuesday morning that no weather-related accidents accidents were reported, nor were any power outages reported in the area.

Marble Hill City Collector Carla Watt said she had been in her office since 4:30 a.m., and has heard of no accidents in the city.

"People are smart and not going out," she said.

City trucks have been out cleaning streets. "They’ve been doing real well," Watt said.

Cape Girardeau County emergency management director Dick Knaup said the county fared well despite three to five inches of sleet that fell overnight and this morning. Knaup said Jackson received less ice than Cape Girardeau.

"If anyone has to get out be very careful," Knaup said. "Remember they’re predicting this evening we’re supposed to get hit again, but it’s unclear what will happen. It’s a wait and see situation."