05/13/2009 UPDATE: Ameren Illinois Utilities efforts (VIDEO)
As of 11 p.m. Wednesday, the Ameren Illinois Utilities had restored power to more than 60,000 homes and businesses since Friday's inland hurricane.
The AIU Emergency Operations Center is maintaining a close watch on developing weather conditions which include tornado watches, wind advisories and hazardous weather outlooks. A round of severe weather could result in new outages in Southern Illinois and other parts of the state. AIU has taken the necessary steps to prepare for the challenges that may be created by severe weather this evening and tomorrow.
Since the storm restoration effort began, the AIU workforce, which peaked at 2,200 field and support personnel, have used 1,350 utility poles, about 135 miles of electric wire, 21,000 insulators, 110 transformers and 340,000 other items to replace or repair damaged equipment and facilities.
Though telephone service has been restored in the area, the temporary AIU Customer Outreach Service Center at the Community Food Pantry, 121 W. Illinois Ave., Carterville, will remain open until noon Thursday and the center at the southwest entrance Illinois Centre Mall, Marion, will be open until 8:00 p.m. Thursday.
as many as 1,000 AIU customers may need to make repairs to the facilities they own, such as the meter base, weatherhead or point of attachment. This work should be performed by a professional electrical contractor. These repairs must be completed before service can be safely restored. A detailed explanation of this work is available at IllinoisOutage.com or customers may call AIU for assistance.
