Winter Storm Power Outage Update

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 - 4:45 pm

At 4:30 pm, EnerStar crews reported that the last power outage had been restored.

To our cooperative membership, we would like to thank you for the patience, kindness and encouragement you provided to our employees last night and throughout the day.

Electricity powers the necessities and conveniences of our modern world, but sometimes it takes a lot of old fashioned hard work to repair the damage left in the wake of a storm. And as a cooperative, we are always working hard and looking out for you, our members.

To our cooperative employees, we thank you for your hard work and dedication!

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 - 1:45 pm

Approximately 25 outages remain in southwest Edgar county and western Clark county. EnerStar crews continue to work through these labor intensive outages. They have priority status as several accounts have been without power overnight.

Heavy ice falling from the power lines have caused approximately 50 new outages this afternoon.

The cooperative is aware of several grain bin sites without power. The cooperative will follow up with these outages after all residential accounts have had service restored. Members should contact the cooperative at 1-800-635-4145 if power is necessary at these sites.

Safety is still a main concern. There still may be power lines down or trees could still fall into power lines. If you see any downed power lines, stay away, keep others away and call the co-op immediately at 1-800-635-4145.

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 - 9:15 am

Media Press Release Issued

Wednesday, March 5, 2008 - 6:30 am

EnerStar crews continue to work on power outages caused by yesterday's winter weather. Approximately 150 outages remain at this time.

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 - 9:20 pm

EnerStar continues to experience outages throughout the service territory.

At the peak, the cooperative had about 900 outages south and west of Paris in Edgar county and throughout Clark county.  Freezing rain caused ice to cover power lines and trees. High winds caused "galloping lines" where the line bounces and causes the service to blink.

The Brocton substation, which serves areas in the northwest portion of Edgar county, was out due to an Ameren  transmission line failure. Power was restored around 6:00 pm.

At this time, there are approximately 300 outages remaining. Members should be prepared for extended outages, possibly overnight. To report a power outage, please call 1-800-635-4145 to speak directly to an EnerStar representative. 

Tuesday, March 4, 2008 – 3:30 pm

EnerStar Electric Cooperative is warning co-op members to be prepared for possible lengthy outages due to the current winter storm. Ice accumulating on power lines and tree limbs combined with wind can cause widespread and extended power outages.

As of 3:30 pm on Tuesday, March 4, 2008, widespread power outages were reported throughout Edgar county and Clark county. 

Members should be prepared for extended outages, possibly overnight. “EnerStar line crews and other employees are prepared to do everything they can to restore power quickly and keep the lights on,” said Mike Clark, EnerStar Line Superintendent. “Ice build-up can cause poles to snap, lines to break and trees to fall into power lines. It is difficult to repair these types of outages quickly and often as soon as one area is fixed, another area will break.”

Clark added that the cooperative’s first priority is to make sure employees and members always put safety first. He emphasized how important it is to stay away from any downed power lines. And if you use a generator make sure you use it safely. If it back feeds on to the co-op’s power lines, it could injure or kill a lineman trying to repair the line.

Clark also warned that phone lines could become overwhelmed during a widespread power outages. Clark said, “Rest assured our employees are answering the phones as fast as possible, but when hundreds of people are trying to call in at the same time there will be busy signals. Please be patient.” He added that the best possible way to report a power outage was to use the automated telephone answering system as it quickly processes information and does not tie up the telephone lines for other callers.