Tornado Slams New-Mac Electric

Wednesday, May 14

“Everyone should have power today,” said New-Mac Electric’s Mark Rakes.

Around-the-clock, diligent efforts have allowed New-Mac to exceed even its own expectations in putting back together the ravaged mess left by the deadly tornado that ripped across Newton County Saturday night.

“The destruction was so horrible, we thought we’d still be at it days from now, but we’ve had a lot of great help, and all of our employees have put forth an outstanding effort to get us to this point,” said Rakes.

New-Mac, as of noon Wednesday, had less than 50 meters still without power.

“We’re down to individual services now,” said Rakes. “So, it’s imperative that if you need power, contact us right away so we can get to you while we still have all the additional crews here today.”

New-Mac immediately brought in contractors and other co-ops to help in the aftermath of the disaster. In the wake of the EF4 tornado – that killed at least 14 and destroyed hundreds of homes, New-Mac had as many as 9,000 meters out of power.

The co-op has made big strides in the last few days, turning the corner lateMonday night when KAMO Power was able to restore transmission to substations that served the Spring City and Spurgeon areas. New-Mac restored power to more than 2,000 during the day Tuesday, and then got the lights back on for close to 1,000 more through the night.

Any customers still without power should call New-Mac at 451-1515 or 800-322-3849. If you can’t get through on the phone, customers can e-mail the first and last name on their account and their location number to vstuart@newmac.com.

New-Mac reminds everyone to never approach downed power lines as they may be energized. Also, motorists need to let utility trucks through on roadways, and for the sake of safety, people should always give workers plenty of room to work.

Tuesday, May 13

Momentum took a huge swing for the better overnight, and as of Tuesday morning, most New-Mac Electric customers still without power, following Saturday’s deadly tornado, were out for visible reasons.

KAMO Power was able to restore power to all of New-Mac’s substations late Monday night, which in turn allowed New-Mac to bring hundreds of its customers back on line. The subs lacking transmission served those in the Spring City and Spurgeon areas. With the overnight occurrences, New-Mac’s outage count, originally around 9,000, dropped to less than 1,000 meters.

“Last night was a big lift,” said New-Mac’s Mark Rakes. “But we still have some hard work ahead of us. For the most part, what’s left was in the direct path of the tornado and, obviously, was severely damaged.”
New-Mac, along with numerous assisting contractors and co-ops, have diligently worked around the clock since Saturday night’s EF4 tornado, which took the lives of at least 14 people in Newton County.

New-Mac’s efforts are now concentrated on the Spring City, Spurgeon and Sweetwater areas, after having restored power around Diamond Grove, Neosho, Reeds and Wentworth. Any customers still without power should call New-Mac at 451-1515 or 800-322-3849. If you can’t get through on the phone, customers can email the first and last name on their account and their location number to: vstuart@newmac.com.

New-Mac reminds everyone to never approach downed power lines as they may be energized. Also, motorists need to let utility trucks through on roadways, and for the sake of safety, people should always give workers plenty of room to work.

Monday, May 12

Severe storms, including an EF-4 tornado, ripped through southwest Missouri Saturday, May 10, killing 15 residents.

New-Mac Electric Cooperative, based in Neosho, was hit hard by these storms, as a tornado downed more than 400 poles, knocking out power to about 8,000 co-op members initially. Compounding the severity of the outage was damage to transmission lines and electrical switching equipment operated by KAMO Power Electric Cooperative of Vinita, Okla., which carries wholesale electricity to New-Mac and other southwest Missouri co-ops.

The Association of Missouri Electric Cooperative's Emergency Response Procedure has been activated and more than 90 linemen from unaffected cooperatives in Missouri have been dispatched to aid in restoring power. Power is expected to be restored to most members by week's end.

Saturday's storm entered New-Mac's territory at the Oklahoma state line and traveled approximately 12 miles to the southwest. Gov. Matt Blunt and U.S. Rep. Roy Blunt visited the area Monday and reviewed recovery efforts with co-op personnel. Saturday's storm marks the fifth time in 17 months that New-Mac has experienced devastating storms. The system was in the direct path of ice storms that flattened electrical distribution systems in southwest Missouri during January and December of 2007.