Ameren Illinois Utilities Restore Service; Urge Customers to be Prepared for Fast Moving Storms
January 30 2008 - 10:05AM
PR Newswire (US)
PEORIA, SPRINGFIELD, and DECATUR, Ill., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ --
Ameren Illinois Utility crews at 8:00 a.m. today have restored
power to about 26,000 of the nearly 30,000 customers who lost power
when a fast moving storm packing winds of up to 50 m.p.h. raced
across Illinois yesterday afternoon and evening. Most customers'
service will be restored by mid-day with isolated outages restored
this afternoon. "Safety is our first and foremost concern when
severe storms strike," said Ron Pate, vice president of Regional
Operations for the Ameren Illinois Utilities (AmerenCILCO,
AmerenCIPS and AmerenIP). "The most important safety rule is to
stay clear of downed power lines and always call your Ameren
Illinois utility or '911' if you see downed lines. Assume all
downed power lines are energized. Stay inside, especially at night
because you may walk into an energized power line. Stay clear of
brush, shrubs and downed trees that may hide downed lines," Pate
said. The service restoration effort was somewhat slowed by the
extreme cold, high winds and the need to coordinate power
restoration with the Ameren Illinois Utilities' natural gas
operations. When an outage occurs during extremely cold weather,
homes and commercial buildings will cool rapidly. Since most homes
and businesses use natural gas for heating, the restoration of
electrical service to a large number of customers at the same time
may cause a sudden surge in demand for natural gas. This large
sudden demand may cause the natural gas pipeline pressure to drop
to a level insufficient to maintain service. To prevent this
situation from occurring, electrical service is brought back in
stages. The gradual restoration of electrical service in cold
weather helps assure the safe, reliable delivery of both
electricity and natural gas to Ameren Illinois Utility customers.
Tuesday's high winds damaged power poles and brought down
electrical wires. Outages occurred in all areas of the state with
the greatest number in the eastern and southern portions of the
Ameren Illinois Utility service territory. "We appreciate our
customers' patience during these disruptive service outages," Pate
said. "Our linemen, contractors and other personnel will continue
to work until every customer has service restored." With
predictions of another storm event for Thursday evening and Friday,
customers need to be prepared for the possibility of more severe
weather before winter comes to an end. For a full description of
the Ameren Illinois utilities' restoration process and tips on how
customers can prepare for service disruptions, visit the Ameren Web
site at http://www.ameren.com/ (select "Outage Information" from
the left-hand menu, select Ameren Illinois Outage Information and
then select "Ameren's Storm Response" from the left-hand menu).
Customers can learn more about power outage situations by visiting
selecting "Outage Information" and then such menu options as the
"Outage Map" and "My Electric Outage." The measures customers
should take to prepare for a power outage or loss of natural gas
service are similar to those needed to prepare for any emergency
situation. Here are some tips on dealing with winter storms: --
Because most major outages are caused by bad weather, start by
developing shelter plans for severe storm conditions. -- If any
member of your family has a medical condition, plan and make
arrangements to have that person's special needs met in the event
electricity is not available for an extended period of time during
a storm. -- Assemble a "storm kit" and store it in a secure,
centrally located part of your house. Make sure all family members
know where to find that kit. It should contain: -- Emergency
telephone numbers; flashlights and fresh batteries (avoid using
candles, lanterns or oil lamps due to the fire risk); extra garage
and house keys; a battery-powered radio; a battery-powered or
wind-up alarm clock; a supply of bottled water (one gallon per
person per day); non-perishable foods that don't require heating;
blankets, bedding or sleeping bags; a first-aid kit and
medications; a hand-operated can opener; special items for infants
or family members with special needs; hand tools, such as a
screwdriver, scissors and duct tape; household items like plastic
utensils, paper plates, waterproof matches and household bleach;
identification and copies of important family documents. -- If your
electric service is interrupted, be sure to unplug or protect
sensitive computer and electronic equipment with a high-quality
surge protector. -- When severe weather is predicted, make certain
your cell phone is fully charged. Also, remember that cordless
landline telephones will not function in the event of a power
outage. -- If your power goes out, check first with a neighbor to
see if you are the only one without power. If you are the only one
without service, check your panel box for a tripped circuit breaker
or blown fuse. If any breakers are in the "off" position or if a
fuse is blown, you should investigate the problem. If you are still
without power, or if others in your neighborhood are experiencing a
power outage, call your Ameren Illinois utility at any time, 24
hours a day, seven days a week -- and always call as soon as
possible to report a downed line or natural gas odor! The Ameren
Illinois utility numbers are 888-672-5252 (AmerenCILCO),
888-789-2477 (AmerenCIPS) and 800-755-7000 (AmerenIP). The Ameren
Illinois utilities serve 1.2 million electric and more than 840,000
natural gas customers in a 43,700-square-mile area of Illinois.
DATASOURCE: Ameren Illinois Utilities CONTACT: Leigh Morris,
+1-217-535-5228, or Erica Abbett, +1-618-236-4329, or Neal Johnson,
+1-309-677-5284, all of Ameren Illinois Utilities Web site:
http://www.ameren.com/
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