Fredericktown, MO (News First) – Crews have restored power to over 10,000 Black River Electric Cooperative members since Sunday’s ice storm. Thursday morning (Jan 9th) there were 2,166 members without power with the company vowing to continue working until “every member has power restored.”
Another round of wintry weather is expected late tonight into tomorrow, which may cause outages to continue.Members are encouraged to have a plan to stay warm and safe.
Two hundred and seven lineworkers and support staff continue working to restore power to the members of Black River Electric Cooperative. One hundred thirty-two of them are mutual aid line workers, contractors and tree crews from outside the area. Lineworkers from Ozark Border Electric Cooperative, Howell-Oregon Electric Cooperative, White River Valley Electric Cooperative, SEMO Electric Cooperative, Pemiscot Dunklin Electric Cooperative, Three Rivers Electric Cooperative, Southwest Electric Cooperative, Ozark Electric Cooperative, Gascosage Electric Cooperative, Webster Electric Cooperative and SE-MA-NO Electric Cooperative join BREC crews in the fight to get the lights on.
Winter Storm Blair hit BREC’s service territory the hardest, with most counties receiving half an inch of ice that pulled trees down into powerlines. Outages began Sunday morning and by the afternoon, half of BREC’s system, 12,000 members, were without power. Crews have made amazing progress with outage restoration, despite the storm damage and bitter cold conditions.
“It’s very important that members with damage to their service entrance equipment have an electrician make repairs. Please contact BREC to isolate the problem so an electrician can repair it. After repairs are made, BREC will need to be notified to restore power to that location,” the company states.
To report a power outage, call 1-800-392-4711 or use the Automated Member Service Hotline at 1-888-461-2667. We want to express our appreciation for your patience and understanding during this outage event. Rest assured we will be working as quickly and safely as conditions allow to restore power to you.
