"This was a significant, slow moving weather cell that pounded our electric infrastructure over the course of several hours," said Lenny Singh, Chairman and President of Ameren Illinois. "Crews have been mobilized throughout the service territory and we are calling in reinforcements from Illinois and nearby states. We're in the assessment phase now and will focus on getting the system repaired and power restored as quickly as possible while exercising high standards of safety." Ameren Illinois activated its Incident Management Team (IMT) at 1:00 pm Thursday, June 29, 2023, to support restoration activities. It will be staffed around-the-clock to coordinate service restoration, logistical support and communications. Over 8,000 homes in Urbana, Tolono, and St. Joseph remain without electrical service as of 2 a.m., more than 12 hours after the storm ripped through east central Illinois. According to Ameren's outage data, 7,184 homes in Urbana were still without power. Only 165 homes in Tolono do not have electricity. Meanwhile, in St. Joseph, 47.66% of the residents in the community east of Urbana still needed electrical service restored. No estimate was available when the more than 1000 customers could expect power. "Customer safety is of utmost importance, particularly when severe weather occurs. We urge our customers to take precautions to protect themselves and their families, including staying away from downed power lines and immediately reporting any downed lines to Ameren Illinois," Singh said.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
A branch from a large tree at a condo unit near the corner Broadway and Vermont was peeled away from the trunk after winds close to 80 mph raced through the area after noon on Thursday. Widespread damage has been reported including overturned semis, flattened crops, and fallen trees.
