FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jim McCarty
(573) 659-3402
(573) 680-2451
 
Jan. 25, 2007

Electric cooperatives in storm-ravaged regions of Missouri report the situation is “greatly improved” as several systems have competed power restoration efforts and the hardest-hit co-ops continue to make significant strides toward reconnecting all consumers. As of Thursday morning, approximately 5,500 rural electric members in Missouri remained without power.

Ozark Electric Cooperative of Mount Vernon, Southwest Electric Cooperative of Bolivar and Laclede Electric of Lebanon still face the biggest challenges in restoring power to their members. Those systems suffered some of the worst damage from a heavy blanket of ice, which covered a large swath of Missouri, January 12-14. Ozark still has approximately 3,000 customers without electricity, while Laclede works to restore power to 1,800 and Southwest about 675 members.

Elsewhere, more Missouri electric cooperatives have completed their recovery effort or will soon do so. Both Marshfield-based Webster Electric Cooperative and Gascosage Electric of Dixon report that power has been restored to all members. Another hard-hit system, New-Mac Electric Cooperative of Neosho, reported just 50 members without power as of Thursday morning.

All told, more than 780 fellow linemen from electric cooperatives in Missouri, as well as out of state, came to the aid of the affected systems. Joining those co-op personnel were hundreds of linemen from private electrical contractors. Crews from Kansas, Arkansas, Illinois, Kentucky, Tennessee and Mississippi poured into the state to help with recovery.

The added manpower helped tackle the monumental task of rebuilding electric cooperative systems that collapsed under the weight of more than 3 inches of accumulated ice.

In several locations, entire stretches of power line and poles spanning several miles came crashing to the ground, cutting off power to thousands of consumers at a time. At the height of the storm nearly 120,000 rural electric cooperative members were without power. Early recovery efforts were hampered by on-going failure of ice-laden lines and poles. In some cases, lineman completed repairs to a section of line only to watch in horror as the next section of the same line collapsed.

In at least two co-op territories, recovery efforts were hampered by the theft of cooper power lines lying on the ground.

Recovery crews began to gain ground early this week as ice came off the lines. As the larger three-phase lines that make of the backbone of the distribution system were repaired, crews turned their attention to smaller feeder lines. While major work remains at the most-devastated co-ops, others work to restore power to isolated consumers at the end of the line.

Wednesday, a second wave of relief crews began to arrive in the state. Some crews came from as far away as Mississippi, an area that received help from Missouri electric co-op lineman during Hurricane Katrina. Meanwhile other crews began to rotate out exhausted lineman as fresh replacements arrived to take up the effort.

 
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