St. Louis residents incur added costs from storm-related power outage

ST. LOUIS -- St. Louis residents are seeing their out-of-pocket costs pile up after a massive blackout that officials have called the worst power outage in Ameren Corp.'s 100-plus-year history.

The utility company sent crews of 4,000 workers to restore power after massive storms hit St. Louis in late July, but it took more than a week for thousands of residents to get electricity restored.

Residents are still paying bills associated with the outage, according to the Hazelwood-Bridgeton Journal.

Costs associated with food spoilage, home and auto repairs, eating out, hotel lodging and downed tree removal are all playing havoc with budgets for individuals throughout the area.

While the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides up to 75 percent in emergency funding to the state for costs associated with power outage, it does not provide relief for individuals, said spokeswoman Melissa Janssen.

"FEMA provides dollars for real property damage to a primary residence, but only if there is no insurance," Janssen said, referring to dollars paid out for personal situations related to the outage.

Carolyn Schaefer, an insurance broker at Hays Co., said most homeowners have coverage for food spoilage and urged people to check their policies and deductibles.

City and state officials have tried to cushion the storm's lasting impact on low-income residents.

St. Louis Mayor Francis Slay pushed the city to open eight hot meal sites to serve those still without electricity. The Salvation Army helped run the centers and formed a partnership with other charities to donate meals.

Gov. Matt Blunt asked the U.S. Department of Agriculture to extend to Aug. 18 the deadline for residents who are applying to get food stamps replaced. Blunt toured a Red Cross shelter in July and heard from residents who said they bought food shortly before the blackout and couldn't afford to replace it.

The Missouri Public Service Commission is investigating Ameren's response to the blackout. The company has said it did all it could considering the circumstances.

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Information from: St. Louis Post-Dispatch, http://www.stltoday.com