Gov. Nixon learns of storm damage costs in Poplar Bluff

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. — Gov. Jay Nixon, making his second visit to Poplar Bluff in five days, learned the tremendous cost and time it takes to restore the transmission lines extending into Southeast Missouri from the New Madrid Power Plant.

"It will cost $80 million for the restoration of our facilities," John Farris, general manager of M & A Electric Cooperative, told Nixon during a briefing Wednesday afternoon.

"We lost 78 miles of extra high voltage lines, 58 miles of lines serving utilities and 2,400 poles," Farris said.

Describing the Jan. 27 ice storm as the "worst ever," Farris said the two-pole structures holding up the transmission lines could not withstand the heavy weight of the ice.

"The ice accumulation made our lines over five inches in diameter and added 10,000 pounds to the crossbars," Farris said.

Crews continue to work 15-18 hours a day to restore electricity in Southeast Missouri and northern Arkansas.

"Our goal is to have all the substations on by the end of the week," Farris said.

Nixon commended the work of all the utility crews and said the state will continue to provide needed generators from the State Emergency Management Agency to key facilities and assistance from 365 Missouri National Guard members, additional Missouri Highway Patrol officers and the Missouri Department of Transportation.

Brig. Gen. Stephen Danner, adjutant general for the Missouri National Guard, and John Britt, director of the Missouri Department of Public Safety, accompanied the governor to Poplar Bluff.

"I appreciate the state and federal governments working together," said Nixon, who met with officials from Poplar Bluff, Butler County and electric cooperatives.

"We are making damage assessments and getting briefed on timelines," Nixon said. "We want to complete the restoration of power as fast as possible."

He also expressed appreciation for residents helping neighbors, serving as volunteers at shelters and helping with the cleanup.

"We still have 4,880 members out," Reuben Jeane, general manager of SEMO Electric Cooperative, told Nixon. "We got 14 more crews today."

Jake Fisher, president of the Pemiscot-Dunklin Electric Cooperative Board, reported only two of the 12 substations have been re-engerized.

"We lost 6,000 poles," Fisher said.

Fisher said he was "amazed" how many nursing homes did not have standby generators.

"We have received concerns about that. We are looking at that very carefully," Nixon said.

One of the utility officials on a conference call with the governor was a spokesman for the city electric department in Kennett.

"We are only serving 20 percent of our customers. There are 4,640 without power," the spokesman said. "We had over 400 poles broken and only one of our three substations has been re-energized."

Municipal power plants are generating power in some communities, including Malden and Kennett, until transmission lines can be rebuilt.

At 5 p.m. Wednesday, the State Emergency Management Agency reported Malden has 95 percent power, Campbell 60 percent and Holcomb 40 percent. Electricity has been restored in all of Clarkton and Caruthersville.

Meanwhile, Ozark Border Electric Cooperative crews continue to make progress.

"We are down to 3,449 outages today," said Stanley Estes, OBEC general manager. Most of the outages are in the Malden/Campbell area where a substation cannot be re-energized until the transmission lines are rebuilt.

AmerenUE has nearly completed its restoration work with only 14 customers in Southeast Missouri without power at 7:30 a.m. today. Crews that have been helping Ameren are now helping to restore power in other areas.

ARKANSAS

There are still 80,000 customers in northern Arkansas without power, including 54,281 served by electric cooperatives and 26,000 served by Entergy Arkansas.

The Clay County Electric Cooperative reports 7,200 members were still in the dark at 4 p.m. Wednesday.

Entergy Arkansas has moved up the projected restoration dates for Corning. The firm expects to have 80 percent of Corning restored on Saturday and the remaining 20 percent on Monday.