The limb of a large pine tree lays on an outfield fence at Blair Park on Thursday after a storm that produced nearly 80mph windspeeds passed through the area. In its wake, the storm left over 28,000 homes without power in Champaign County and more 170,000 homes in Ameren's service area.
"Unfortunately, we do not have a safe estimated restoration time. Crews are being dispatched from other Ameren Illinois regions and from neighboring states to help with restoration efforts. We truly appreciate your patience and understanding while our crews work through the night to restore as many customers as quickly and safely as possible," said Ameren employee Linda, who signed a response to a question on the company's Facebook page. To sign up for alerts and outage updates from Ameren, text REG to AMEREN (263736).
Scheduled flights to and from Willard Airport were canceled by airport officials after damaging winds from the powerful derecho caused a power outage and damaged the roof of the commercial terminal.
Photo: Sentinel/Clark Brooks
