Storm causes damage in Cape

By Peg McNichol ~ Southeast Missourian

While city crews work to pick up tree limbs and other debris from last night's storm, hundreds of people are waiting for electric service to be restored.

As of 4:45 p.m., Ameren's Web site lists 948 households without power in Cape Girardeau; 56 in Jackson and six in Scott City. A company spokeswoman said 1,200 Ameren customers are without power throughout Southeast Missouri.

Don Schuette, director of electric utilities for the city of Jackson, said 300 customers lost power for "less than an hour" after lightning "struck a circuit and took it out."

Schuette said the annual tree trimming "paid big dividends" during the storm.

"We go through and trim every year and cut back all our nuisance trees that would cause problems," he said. "People don't like it when we trim their trees, but they do like it when they have power during the storms."

The drought has weakened tree root bases and limbs, making them less able to withstand strong winds. Winds in last night's line of storms reached up to 70 miles an hour.

According to Roger Schlichting of the Citizens Electric Co., "about 300 people in the Millersville area and in Neely's Landing" are still without power as of 4:50 p.m. Schlichting, CEC's Altenburg-Fruitland district superintendent, said 21 linemen were working to restore service by this evening.

"Some damage is done to some of the homes, so we can't reconnect them until they get some work done," he said.

pmcnichol@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 127