Making the rounds: National Guard soldiers, sheriff's deputies check on residents without power

The noise from the military blazer made conversation difficult, so the sheriff's deputy and sergeant rode mostly in silence. Sgt. 1st Class Tevis Noles' brow furrowed as he concentrated on navigating the icy roads, occasionally fishtailing as he dodged fallen branches. Deputy Justin Glastetter scanned the horizon, looking for people without power who needed help.

Raised garage doors were a telltale sign someone was home but the power was out. The pair would carefully study the ruts in the driveway, determining whether someone was able to get out or might be holed in.

Gov. Matt Blunt announced Wednesday he was mobilizing National Guard soldiers to help with recovery following Monday's ice storm. Soldiers paired with sheriff's deputies Thursday to complete well-being checks.

As Noles and Glastetter slid over slush, through an intersection with traffic lights out and onto single-lane highways, wipers were often necessary as ice melted in such large quantities it looked like it was raining. Whenever they approached a resident, Noles would slow down, and Glastetter would signal to the person.

"How you doing? You have power? Got water, everything?"

Time after time, they heard the same story: Either the person's power had just returned or they were still in the dark but coping. Some told stories of staying with neighbors who had generators or at least a wood fireplace. Despite offers of ready-to-eat meals and bottled water, everyone declined.

Back in the vehicle, Glastetter commented on the residents' self-sufficiency.

"I'm sure they're always prepared a little bit if they live out here," he said.

He also noted the much-improved road conditions. "Two days ago this road was just covered in ice," he said. With Wednesday's temperatures reaching the mid-40s, most city roads were dry, and even some buried rural roads were largely passable. County roads 614, 616 and 618, east of Jackson and west of Trail of Tears State Park, had been so heavily littered with fallen trees, however, that the remaining wood chips turned the road tan.

Before Glastetter and Noles headed out, they went through a briefing at the Cape Girardeau County Sheriff's Department, where National Guard soldiers and deputies listened to Sheriff John Jordan name areas of concern.

The servicemen sat behind three rows of tables, studying a white board listing the hardest hit areas, and laughing nervously when lights in the department began to flicker.

Jordan said he was in contact with the electrical companies and was told AmerenUE expected to have power restored by the end of today. As of 7 p.m. Thursday, 690 Cape Girardeau and 69 Jackson AmerenUE customers were still in the dark, down from more than 10,000 Tuesday.

Jordan said SEMO Electric Cooperative reported only 40 incidents left Thursday, and Citizens Electric Cooperative said things were going well except for along Route D.

Black River Electric Cooperative, which serves rural Cape Girardeau and Bollinger counties, however, was having "major, major problems," Jordan said. Burfordville, Millersville, Gravel Hill and Hidden Valley were reportedly in "worse shape than anyone," and "it could be days, and that's being conservative," before power is restored. Because of the rural nature of the towns, crews were having difficulty reaching fallen lines.

Driving along the rural roads, often the only vehicles Glastetter and Noles would see for miles were utility trucks, choking the roads as crews feverishly worked double shifts to restore power.

Darrell Lunsford of Oriole said he had been without power for three days. He had a friend drive him and his wife to his sister's house one night, and they walked over to his nephew's home another night, where there was a fireplace. "My wife's sick and our house is freezing," he said.

Glastetter informed him that down the road crews were positioned to repair a circuit that would restore his power shortly.

According to a Wednesday news release, Blunt called for 30 soldiers to be mobilized, but only 18 were present Thursday. "Need dictates how many we have. We're doing well with 18," said Staff Sgt. Heather Carden, a public affairs representative for the 1140th Engineer Battalion.

She said the Guard is always on alert during a disaster, and expected they would be called sooner. "As to why they waited, I don't know," she said.

One team did well-being checks Wednesday night, and two shifts of guardsmen worked Thursday. Carden said the Guard would remain through Saturday evening.

During the shifts Thursday, few dinners were distributed. "After three days, people are going to start doing it on their own," said Glastetter, who has worked for the sheriff's department for five years and served with Noles in Iraq in 2004.

As the two wound through narrow roads back to the sheriff's department, they were pleased their assistance wasn't direly needed. Glastetter hoped aloud that power to his own home had been restored. "I live in the heart of the city, and I've been out since Monday, too," he said.

lbavolek@semissourian.com

335-6611, extension 123