FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT: Jim McCarty
(573) 659-3402
 
Jan. 29, 2007

Power has been restored to nearly every electric cooperative consumer in Missouri. As of 9 a.m. this morning, only Ozark Electric Cooperative in Mount Vernon reported any ice storm-related outages, with about 20 members waiting to be reconnected.

Major progress was made over the weekend as the last cooperatives with ice downed power lines and poles worked to recover from recent storms. Both Southwest Electric Cooperative of Bolivar and Lebanon-based Laclede Electric completed their power restoration efforts Sunday.

Statewide, power has been restored to all electric cooperative members who are able to receive power. In some cases, ice and falling trees damaged homeowner's electrical equipment and prevented the safe reconnection of utility services.

All told, nearly 120,000 Missouri residents, served by a dozen electric cooperatives, were without power at some time during the storm. The state's electric cooperatives undertook an unprecentended recovery effort, that involved nearly 2,000 additional linemen from electric cooperatives in at least seven states, as well as hundreds of contract utility workers.

 

 
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