For immediate release
Contact: Jim McCarty
(573) 659-3402
(573) 680-2451
 
 
Co-ops recovery progresses

Missouri electric cooperatives affected by the most devastating ice storms in decades continue to make progress restoring power to their members. As of 1 p.m. today roughly half the consumers initially affected have seen their power restored. Approximately 64,500 rural electric co-op consumers remain without electricity on Jan. 17.

Electric cooperatives located along a line roughly coinciding with Interstate 44 were severely impacted by a series of ice storms that rolled across the state, beginning Friday Jan. 12 and continuing through Sunday. Jan. 14. At one point, nearly 120,000 electric cooperative members were without power.

Co-ops hardest hit by the storms include: Barry, Crawford, Cuivre River, Gascosage, Intercounty, Laclede, New Mac, Ozark, Southwest, Three Rivers and Webster electric cooperatives.

In the southwest, New-Mac Electric of Neosho has made significant progress in restoring approximately 5,000 of the 14,000 that were left without service. Neighboring cooperative Ozark Electric of Mt. Vernon has reduced the number of outages from 20,000 to slightly more than 10,000 while more than 2,000 poles remain shattered from the extreme weight of the ice.

Laclede Electric of Lebanon and Webster Electric of Marshfield have reduced their outages to less than 10,000 while Southwest Electric of Bolivar and Crawford Electric of Bourbon have reduced outages to 6,000, and 4,000 respectively. Gascosage Electric in Dixon, initially estimating losses at more than 60% of their system, has made headway with less than 6,000 consumers remaining out as of 1: p.m., Jan. 17.

Elsewhere across the state, Cuivre River Electric of Troy, Se-Ma-No Electric of Mansfield and Sac Osage Electric of El Dorado Springs have restored nearly all of the service that was interrupted due to the weekend’s events. Three Rivers Electric of Linn and Intercounty Electric Cooperative of Licking hope are also making progress toward complete restoration of service to all of consumers.

As power lines and poles began to snap under the weight of accumulating ice, affected co-ops put out a call for help through the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives. Initial assistance came from Missouri electric co-ops that were spared by the storm. As the extent of the destruction became known, additional crews were called in from Illinois, Kansas and Arkansas.

To date, nearly 300 additional linemen have been called in to help with recovery efforts. More crews and equipment continue to arrive. In addition to fellow electric cooperative linemen, private contractors are also working at many systems to help restore power to the co-ops’ rural customers.

Recovery efforts are hampered by continued breakage of poles and lines from the weight of ice. The rugged terrain in rural areas and the fact that co-op consumers are spread out along the lines also hampers linemen working to restore service.

For more information, contact Jim McCarty at the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives — (573) 635-6857, ext. 3402, jmccarty@amec.org.

 
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