Arctic Blast Causes Additional Power Outages, Nearly 1,500 Ameren Illinois Utilities Personnel Work to Restore Electric Service
December 21 2008 - 11:36AM
PR Newswire (US)
PEORIA, Ill., Dec. 21 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- An army of 1,480
Ameren Illinois Utilities field personnel are working 16-hour
shifts in near zero temperatures to get the lights back on for
thousands who lost service when strong winds raced across Central
Illinois Saturday night and Sunday morning. The strong winds -- 20
to 30 mph with higher gusts -- damaged ice-coated power lines and
utility poles, and caused icy tree limbs to fall into power lines.
Electrical service outages, which had peaked at about 45,000 on
Friday, had been reduced to about 5,000 customers yesterday
evening. However, the exceptionally strong winds have left about
14,100 customers without power. Depending on weather conditions,
the Ameren Illinois Utilities are hopeful most customers will have
service restored by this evening. However, scattered outages are
expected to persist until tomorrow. Ameren Illinois Utilities
personnel will continue to work 16-hour shifts. Ameren Illinois
Utilities officials stress that high wind conditions are expected
to continue throughout today. These winds may cause additional
damage, resulting in additional electric service outages. One of
the most serious problems facing the Ameren Illinois Utilities
crews is a phenomenon known as galloping conductors. This
phenomenon occurs when strong winds blow across ice-coated power
lines, causing them swing violently. Galloping conductors can
damage power lines, insulators and utilities, resulting in electric
service outages. (Note: See Web link for video at the end of this
release.) "We extend our thanks to city, county and state officials
and to the hotels, restaurants, service stations and others who are
working with us as we restore service to our customers," said Bill
Prebil, Ameren Illinois vice president of Regional Operations. "The
safety of our customers and our coworkers is of paramount concern
as we continue to work until all of our customers have their lights
back on. We encourage people to check on their neighbors,
especially the elderly and those with special needs, to make
certain they are safe and warm," Prebil said. The Ameren Illinois
Utilities are again urging customers to exercise extreme caution
when using portable generators. There has been at least one case in
which the necessary generator safety steps were not followed, which
resulted in electricity being feed back into Ameren Illinois
Utilities power lines that had been deenergized. Fortunately, there
were no injuries or deaths. Customers planning to use a portable
generator must first open the main breaker or remove the main fuses
before connecting the generator to the electrical systems. Failure
to do this could seriously injure utility crews working on outside
power lines, and/or it could cause damage to a neighbor's property
or the customer's own equipment. Customers should never use a
portable generator indoors, including in a home, garage, basement,
shed or partially-enclosed area -- even with ventilation because of
the threat of deadly carbon monoxide poisoning. The service
restoration effort is being directed by the Ameren Illinois
Emergency Operations Center in Decatur. The Ameren Illinois
Utilities also have placed Storm Trailers to Peoria, Sunnyland and
Chenoa. The Storm Trailers are mobile storerooms, stocked with the
material field crews need to get the lights back on. The trailers
can be moved to central staging sites to provide essential
materials areas with the greatest damage. 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. Editor's
Note: Current information on the restoration effort, please visit
http://www.illinoisoutage.com/ Video of galloping conductors,
please visit: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vw2RYFrr3wI
DATASOURCE: Ameren Illinois Utilities CONTACT: Saturday &
Sunday, +1-217-424-6400, Leigh E. Morris, +1-217-416- 9609,
Victoria Busch, +1-618-614-3032, or Neal Johnson, +1-309-677-5284,
all for Ameren Illinois Utilities Web site: http://www.ameren.com/
http://www.illinoisoutage.com/
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