By Joe Ragusa
BLOOMINGTON – Utility companies are working around the clock to restore power in central Illinois.
Ameren spokeswoman Paula Heinkel said crews are always ready to replace down power lines, but the severity of the weather plays a role in their response times.
“Not only that, but when you think about the conditions, when you think about all of the flooding on all of the roads, yesterday and today, it’s been difficult to even get out to some of these locations where there are some breaks in the (power) lines because of that standing water,” Heinkel said.
The number of Ameren customers in McLean County without power has been trimmed to 2,500 as of early Wednesday morning.
CornBelt Energy is working to restore power to 400 customers in McLean County and about 2,300 of its members across its service area.
“That number keeps bouncing up-and-down as we get some things turned on,” Corn Belt Energy Vice President Michael Volker said. “We’re finding that new (tree) limbs are coming down and breaking things off and we have to go back again.”
Joe Ragusa can be reached at joe.ragusa@cumulus.com.
