Ameren Illinois electric crew members and contractors are working to restore power for customers impacted by a severe thunderstorm. The early morning weather system felled tree limbs in local neighborhoods, knocking wires down and more than 120 power poles, causing more than 53,000 outages in the southern and southwestern section of the Ameren Illinois service territory.
Power has been restored to more than 34,000 customers since Ameren Illinois activated its Emergency Operations Center at 6:30 a.m. to coordinate restoration, logistical support, and communication.
distribution infrastructure
"This storm has been particularly challenging," said David Wakeman, Senior Vice President, Electric Operations and Technical Services, Ameren Illinois.
"Our crews are dealing with downed trees and limbs and significant damage to the distribution infrastructure that delivers power directly to local neighborhoods. These local outages require crews to assess each area and repair the services individually."
restoration work
Ameren Illinois urges customers to take precautions to protect themselves and their families
Wakeman said that additional personnel is being dispatched from the other portions of the Ameren Illinois territory and restoration work will continue overnight. Customers are urged to stay away from downed power lines and report them immediately to Ameren Illinois.
Customer safety is of utmost importance, particularly when severe weather occurs. Ameren Illinois urges customers to take precautions to protect themselves and their families, including staying away from downed power lines and immediately reporting any downed lines to Ameren Illinois.
Restoration status
- Information on the restoration status of individual outages will be provided directly to customers who have reported their outage to Ameren Illinois.
- Ameren Illinois customers without power should call 800-755-5000 to report an outage, log onto the website at AmerenIllinois.com, or report their outage using the mobile phone app. Customers who report their outage can sign up for outage alerts to receive text or mail restoration updates.
- Real-time outage information is available on the outage map.
- Customers and media can receive timely updates on outage restoration by following the Ameren Illinois news feed on Facebook or Twitter.
Hot Weather Safety Tips
- During extremely hot weather, check on friends, neighbors, and relatives who may be especially vulnerable to high temperatures, such as those who are older, have medical issues, or do not have air conditioning.
- Consider going to an air-conditioned place during the hottest times of the day. Options may include the home of a friend or neighbor, a shopping mall, or a public building. Some communities may have temporary cooling centers. Ameren Illinois will provide information on cooling centers as the information becomes available.
- In addition to staying as cool as possible, it is important to drink plenty of water or other liquids that do not contain caffeine, alcohol, or large amounts of sugar. Never wait until you are thirsty to drink.
- Keep shades, curtains and blinds closed during the day to reduce the effects of solar heating.
- If you are using a portable generator, place it outside and away from doors or windows.
