For immediate release

Jan. 26, 2009 — 9 a.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 southern Missouri 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.

Electric cooperative members should be prepared for the possibility of an extended power outage. According to the National Weather Service, members in the south central part of the state will be the hardest hit by this storm. Heavy ice is expected in a line extending from Springfield south to the Arkansas border.

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 the Association of Missouri Electric Cooperatives Web site at www.amec.coop 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.

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Editor's Note: For media inquiries, contact Jim McCarty at 573-680-2451