Headlines

Missouri electric cooperatives restore power to all
Feb. 19, 2009 — 9:30 a.m.
On the afternoon of Wednesday, Feb. 18, Pemiscot-Dunklin completed work to restore power to all members able to receive it, Manager Charles Crawford reported. “Last night we had everyone back on,” he said. “There are still just a very few who need to make repairs to their houses.”

Pemiscot-Dunklin cuts outages to 100; expects to finish today
Feb. 18, 2009 — 10 a.m.
Crews working to restore power at Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative are close to restoring power to all members today. Only 100 outages, scattered around the Bootheel, remain to repair. All other Missouri electric cooperatives have fully restored power.

Power restored to 6,796 Pemiscot-Dunklin members; Ozark Border, SEMO complete
Feb. 17, 2009 — 10:30 a.m.
Lineworkers working to repair ice storm damage at Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative made a huge gain Monday when they restored power to a large portion of Dunklin County. Starting at 8:30 a.m., crews energized the Kennett substation and, working south, restored power to approximately 6,796 members.

Two more electric co-ops expect to complete restoration today
Feb. 16, 2009 — 9:30 a.m.
Nearly three weeks after a devastating ice storm pummeled Missouri’s southern Ozarks and Bootheel regions, leaving 64,000 without power, the task of restoring power to electric cooperative members is almost complete for two more systems.

Transmission work continues for Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Co-op
Feb. 15, 2009 — 11:30 a.m.
Yesterday’s anticipated reenergizing of substations for Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative did not happen as tough working conditions delayed repair work. Crews have most of the poles in place to restore power but wire still needs to be restrung.

Hard work about to pay off for Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Co-op
Feb. 14, 2009 — Noon
Turn off your generator and turn on your porch light — power should be flowing to most members of Pemiscot-Dunklin late today, Manager Charles Crawford says.

Outage numbers continue to drop for electric cooperatives
Feb. 13, 2009 — 10:30 a.m.

The three Missouri electric cooperatives fighting to repair damage in the wake of a January ice storm have restored power to all but 6,497 members. The powerful storm that swept through the area on Wednesday, Feb. 11, set the effort back at least two days as crews had to reset many fallen and leaning poles and clear more fallen limbs from lines.

New-Mac lends helping hand following ice storm
Feb. 13, 2009 — 10:30 a.m.

“Who wants to be first to be kissed?” exclaimed the elderly woman, an Ozark Border Electric Cooperative customer, who was helping to feed the visiting linemen. That lady and thousands of her fellow southeast and south-central Missouri co-op members are indeed grateful for the assistance they’re receiving from New-Mac Electric Cooperative of Neosho, and from other cooperatives from across the state.

Co-ops battle the elements to hold their own
Feb. 12, 2009 — 9 a.m.
Electric cooperatives struggling to restore power to approximately 7,000 members barely held their own Wednesday as a brutal wind storm tore through the area. Wind gusts up to 50 mph and non-stop straightline winds kept crews working to avoid losing ground in the effort.

Co-ops suffer setback from stormy weather
Feb. 11, 2009 — 9:30 a.m.
Electric cooperatives fighting to get members back on line in the wake of the massive January ice storm suffered a setback Monday night as stormy weather pounded the area. Sustained winds in the 20-40 mph rage and gusts as high as 60 mph hammered lines just repaired and caused new outages for all three southeast Missouri electric cooperatives.

Outages down to 7,966 for Missouri electric cooperatives
Feb. 10, 2009 — 10:30 a.m.
The three remaining electric cooperatives with outages due to the recent ice storm have restored power to all but 7,966 members as of Tuesday morning, Feb. 10. SEMO Electric Cooperative, Sikeston, reduced its numbers below 1,000.

Only three co-ops left with outages as Howell-Oregon completes work
Feb. 9, 2009 — 10:30 a.m.
Only three electric cooperatives still had outages today as Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative, West Plains, reported service fully restored. Outages for Missouri’s electric cooperatives dropped to 8,830 following an all-out assault on the damage over the weekend.

Outages drop under 10,000 for electric cooperatives
Feb. 8, 2009 — 10:30 a.m.
Electric cooperatives fighting to repair storm-ravaged lines reduced the number of outages to 9,770 Saturday, Feb. 7, as the all-out repair effort continued without pause. Approximately 2,500 lineworkers are on the ground in the affected area, which is now confined to southeast Missouri.

Ice storm restoration work continues

Feb. 7, 2009 — 11:15 a.m.
Restoration efforts continue in southeast Missouri as electric cooperatives rebuild a network of power lines and poles destroyed under the weight of ice.

A lineman's perspective
Feb. 6, 2009 — 3:30 p.m.
Mike Jeffries, crew foreman at Northeast Missouri Electric Power Cooperative, Palmyra, was dispatched Feb. 1 to assist with ice storm recovery efforts at M&A Electric Power Cooperative in southeast Missouri. The following is his day-to-day, first-person account of his experiences this week.

Co-ops restore power to another 1,600
Feb. 6, 2009 — 10 a.m.
Lights came on for another 1,609 members of electric cooperatives whose homes were plunged into darkness by the winter storm. A massive influx of linemen, including many contractors released by Ameren UE, helped in the effort.

15,000 remain without power for Missouri electric cooperatives
Feb. 5, 2009 — 9:30 a.m.
Slow but sure progress continued in an all-out effort to restore power in southeast Missouri. Four southeast Missouri electric cooperatives reported a total of 15,090 members without power Thursday morning.

New contractor crews join co-op restoration effort
Feb. 4, 2009 — 11:30 a.m.
The number of rural electric cooperative members without electricity continues to decrease in southeast Missouri, and a new development will bring even more manpower to at least one system crippled by last week’s ice storm.

Work continues to restore transmission to electric co-ops
Feb. 3, 2009 — 4 p.m.
Rebuilding miles of high-voltage transmission lines that feed electricity from power plants to rural electric cooperatives in southeast Missouri appears to be the largest remaining obstacle to getting electricity restored to homes and businesses.

Outages continue to decrease for electric co-ops
Feb. 3, 2009 — 11 a.m.
More men and equipment are pouring into the Missouri Bootheel today in an all-out effort to restore power for members of four rural electric cooperatives that received extensive system-wide damage during last week’s ice storms.

Electric co-ops make progress
Feb. 2, 2009 — 4 p.m.
Though mud and muck continue to wreak havoc on recovery efforts, Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives are making grounds on repairing the damage caused by last week’s ice storm, and one system is reporting that electrical service has been restored.

Muddy conditions hamper restoration efforts for electric co-ops
Feb. 2, 2009 — 11 a.m.
Sunshine and temperatures in the upper 50s and lower 60s returned to Missouri’s south-central Ozarks and Bootheel regions over the weekend, melting ice that decimated the rural electric cooperative distribution system last week. While the ice may be gone, the damage it caused still remains across much of the area.

Army of workers helps restore electric co-op power
Feb. 1 , 2009 — 1:45 p.m.
A mass mobilization of men and equipment is on the ground in the south-central Ozarks and the Missouri Bootheel as efforts to restore power reach critical mass for Missouri’s electric cooperatives.

Substations brought back on line in electric co-op restoration effort
Jan. 31, 2009 — 2 p.m.

A sense of optimism that they have turned the corner on power restoration in Missouri’s Bootheel is coming from those involved in the all-out restoration effort today. John Farris, manager of transmission cooperative M&A Electric Power Cooperative, says crews working on southeast Missouri transmission lines are turning dozens of substations back on in the first crucial step toward returning things to normal.

Transmission woes hinder restoration of electrical service in southern Missouri
Jan. 30, 2009 — 11 a.m.

Four days following winter storms that blanketed extreme southern Missouri with ice, Missouri’s rural electric cooperatives continue the struggle to restore power to homes and businesses.

Situation called a 'winter war zone' for southern Missouri electric cooperatives
Jan. 29, 2009 — 2 p.m.

Electric cooperatives across southern Missouri continue to battle the effects of ice. The entire Bootheel region was in darkness Wednesday, and as of Thursday, Jan. 29, the situation was not much improved. Linemen are working both transmission lines as well as distribution lines.

Situation worsens for southern Missouri electric cooperatives
Jan. 28, 2009 — 10:20 a.m.

With up to an inch of ice clinging to power lines and trees, electric cooperatives across southern Missouri are seeing massive outages on their lines. Virtually the entire Bootheel region was in darkness Wednesday morning, Jan. 28, as the transmission lines feeding substations went down.

Ice storm targets Bootheel, Ozarks
Jan. 27, 2009 — 3:30 p.m.

hile most of the state dodged the proverbial bullet, electric co-ops in southeast Missouri suffered large numbers of outages the past 36 hours as a winter ice storm hit the region.

Co-ops dodge bullet on ice storm, brace for Round 2
Jan. 27, 2009 — 9:30 a.m.

Most of Missouri’s electric cooperatives dodged a bullet as ice blanketed southern Missouri Jan. 26.

Electric co-ops brace for bad weather
Jan. 26, 2009 — 9 a.m.

Missouri’s electric cooperatives are bracing for severe weather as the National Weather Service predicts a winter storm will hit southern Missouri in the coming hours.

View the latest information about Missouri co-op systems affected by the ice storm.
(Updated 8:30 a.m., Feb. 19)

See photos from areas of southern Missouri affected by the January 2009 ice storm.

Contact 2-1-1 for more information regarding disaster-related needs including weatherhead repair.

See photos from areas of southern Missouri affected by the February 2008 ice storm.

Helpful Links

Missouri State Emergency Management Agency

Federal Emergency Management Agency

Homeland Security

American Red Cross

MU Extension Community Emergency Management