For immediate release
Contact: Jim McCarty
(573) 659-3402
(573) 680-2451

Feb. 11, 2008 — 2 p.m.

Electric co-ops brace for bad weather

View the latest information about Missouri co-op systems affected by winter storms.

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

Ice storms are among the most devastating weather events that can hit the electric power supply grid. When ice falls, it can collect on lines. The heavy weight can snap lines, cause trees to fall into lines or topple poles. Crews are also hampered by icy road conditions and downed trees that make travel difficult.

Missouri’s electric cooperatives have considerable experience dealing with winter storms. When large numbers of outages occur, the Emergency Assistance Procedure coordinated by the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives in Jefferson City is enacted.

As outages occur, electric cooperatives call the association to request help. The association staff coordinates bringing in crews, equipment and supplies from unaffected parts of the state to lend assistance. If the disaster is widespread, cooperatives in other states will also send help.

As the storm develops and details of any outages become clear, we will update this Web site with the latest information. In addition, this Web site has links to all the electric cooperatives in the state at http://www.amec.org/coops.html. Additional information may be available there as well.

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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