Over 1,000 utility workers helping AmerenUE in Southeast Missouri

Over 1,000 AmerenUE workers from other areas of Missouri and neighboring states, along with independent contractors, are working with the utility company in Southeast Missouri to restore power to people still without electricity today.

Susan Gallagher, spokeswoman with AmerenUE, said 1,100 workers from outside the area are in Southeast Missouri today trying to fix the remaining power outages.

Just before 10:30 a.m. about 3,000 people in the Cape Girardeau area were without electric service, concentrated primarily in the northern and northwestern parts of the city, Gallagher said. Most of those customers will be online today, but some may not have power until Friday, she said.

"We're dealing with some difficult terrain," Gallagher said of the crews working locally.

As temperatures warm under full sunshine ice is quickly falling off power lines and trees. Winds are expected to gust as high as 25 to 30 miles per hour in Southeast Missouri and Southern Illinois today, which could lead to more outages.

But Gallagher said temperatures above freezing will help crews work more quickly as ice melts.

At the peak of the outages Tuesday about 15,000 AmerenUE customers in the Cape Girardeau area were without power.

Some of those without power will have to call electrical contractors if their meter base, weatherhead or point of attachment of electrical lines to their houses are damaged. AmerenUE crews will not be fixing these problems, and can't restore power until they are fixed.

Look for updates at semissourian.com throughout the day.