COLLINSVILLE – Ameren Illinois electric crew members and contractors are working to restore power for customers impacted by today's severe thunderstorm. The early morning weather system felled tree limbs in local neighborhoods, knocking wires down and more than 120 power poles, causing more than 53,000 outages in the southern and southwestern section of the Ameren Illinois service territory. Power has been restored to more than 34,000 customers since Ameren Illinois activated its Emergency Operations Center at 6:30 a.m. to coordinate restoration, logistical support, and communication. "This storm has been particularly challenging," said David Wakeman, Senior Vice President, Electric Operations and Technical Services, Ameren Illinois. "Our crews are dealing with downed trees and limbs and significant damage to the distribution infrastructure that delivers power directly to local neighborhoods. These local outages require crews to assess each area and repair the services individually."
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