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Contact: Jim McCarty
(573) 659-3402
 
Co-ops work together to restore power
 
Missouri’s electric cooperatives enacted their Emergency Assistance Program Jan. 12 as the year’s first ice storm pounded rural power lines across the state. Nearly 100,000 electric cooperative members are without power in the wake of the devastating storm.

As outages began to occur in the southwest corner, electric cooperatives placed calls to the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives in Jefferson City. The association coordinates bringing in crews and equipment from unaffected parts of the state to lend assistance.

“The feedback we are getting from local electric cooperatives is this is one of the worst ice storms they have ever seen,” says Doug Drake, field training manager at the association. Drake and other employees of the association worked all weekend lining up assistance for the cooperatives.

The first call came into the association around noon on Jan. 12 from Laclede Electric, based in Lebanon. Ice was beginning to accumulate on power lines on Laclede’s system. As icy conditions continued, calls came in from New-Mac Electric, Neosho, and Ozark Electric, Mt. Vernon.

Those three systems experienced the worst damage, with more than 40,000 members without power at Laclede and Ozark alone. New-Mac reported 13,000 members without power.

“Our procedure is to start with neighboring systems to find help and work our way out,” Drake said. “In this case everyone was seeing similar problems.”

Assistance was available in Poplar Bluff, with Ozark Border Electric Cooperative sending eight linemen and equipment. Additional aid was found in the northwest corner of the state. Ultimately, 215 additional linemen were dispatched from Missouri systems, along with 55 trucks. In addition, crews from Kansas and Illinois are lending a hand. Offers of assistance and crews have also come from cooperatives in Tennessee and Kentucky.

Reports coming in from around the state indicate it could be a week or longer before power is fully restored. “This is a devastating storm, one of the worst ever,” says Barry Hart, executive vice president of the association. “When you get this much ice on the lines and the wind picks up poles start snapping. It takes longer to set poles than to hang wire, which causes the outages to last longer. Everyone in rural Missouri is working together to make sure the power gets back on and our members survive this one.”

He encourages members to be extremely careful around downed power lines, assuming any downed line is dangerous. He also advises using caution with generators, which can send current into power lines if they are not connected properly.

Electric cooperative systems are reporting that they are making headway in the restoration effort. Additional crews will be lending a hand to the most heavily damaged electric cooperatives as those crews get their own lines repaired.

Anyone in need of shelter is encouraged to call the Red Cross at 1-866-GETINFO.
 
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