Thousands still without power four days after storms hit Springfield; damage compared to 1978 ice storm
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Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher on Monday compared the damage done by last week's storms to the 1978 Easter weekend ice storm, which also toppled power lines and caused massive power outages.
"It isn't like a tornado that hits one particular area," said Buscher at a press conference in city council chambers. "It's city-wide."
City officials had the chance to speak to the public Monday, as the city continues under a state of emergency following the storms that caused significant damage county-wide.
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The combined message from Buscher, City Water, Light & Power Chief Utility Engineer Doug Brown, Public Works Director Dave Fuchs, Fire Chief Ed Canny and Assistant Police Chief Don Mumaw: remain patient as recovery continues.
Over 14% of CWLP customers remain without electricity Monday, with 9,787 customers still without power as of 4:30 p.m., higher than comparable totals Sunday when only 8,426 customers were still in the dark. The agency has been asking customers to self-report outages since 6 p.m. Sunday, which has contributed to the increase in reported power loss as a result of the storm.
CWLP spokesperson Amber Sabin said that the goal of the self-reporting was to pick up any spots missed during the initial reporting stage. She said that the response was overwhelming enough that there were cases of over-reporting of outages as a result.
"I think we're good right now (on reporting)," Sabin said. "Our outage counts might be a touch high right now because people are calling in multiple times. Some outages might be double-counted. We don't need the full-court press on that."
More than 40,000 customers were without power at the storm's peak last Thursday, which brought down hundreds of power lines and power poles while also damaging transformers and other electrical equipment. CWLP workers have been doing 17-hour shifts in order to restore power to their customers, though troubleshooters and dispatchers were available 24 hours, Sabin reiterated.
Sabin said that the city is now in the second phase of power recovery, focused on fixing lateral lines and individual backyard outages.
As for the timeline to get the remaining customers back online, Brown estimates that 90% of this group should have their power back by the end of Sunday.
The repairs depend upon the complexity of the situation and the weather, he added.
"Disaster is probably an understatement at this point," Brown said. "The damage from the derecho storm is much worse than the 2006 tornadoes. It is widespread. It is devastating. It is impossible to predict each individual repair with miles and miles of damage to our electric grid. We are looking at replacing over 100 power line poles, over 200 cross-arms, over 100 fuses and maybe 1,000 insulators so far, but we are staying ahead on ordering materials.
"We are now trying to put updates as to where our crews are working, as their work locations might be giving you a better chance of knowing what your status is."
As of Monday afternoon, CWLP was leaning on 81 personnel in 60 trucks to help with restoration with more anticipated later in the week, Brown said.
The state of emergency imposed by Mayor Misty Buscher in response to the storm was extended Sunday night through the end of Wednesday's city council meeting. The continued lack of power in many areas of the city was the primary reason for the extension of the order, which allows Buscher to take expedited action to deal with the storm without the approval of the council.
As for the city's continued response to the storm, Fuchs said that while his teams have been working around the clock to clear streets and ensure that people can get to where they need to go, he knows that it will be some time before everything is back to normal in the Capitol City.
"Every year, there's branch pickup that takes about a month," Fuchs said. "This endeavor is going to take much longer than a month."
Public Works has contracted for additional equipment, primarily end loaders, to assist crews. An Illinois Department of Transportation crew will be with Public Works for several weeks, he said.
Fuchs added two 20-yard long dumpsters had been set up for disposal of spoiled food at 600 Rickard Road (Lawrence and Rickard) and at 2121 S. 11th St.
"This is not for storm debris. This is not for anything that fell off your house or garage," Fuchs said.
The dumpsters will be monitored by the waste haulers and by the city, Fuchs said. It is possible other dumpsters could be added around town.
Buscher said she could empathize with people who may be losing patience with the pace of repairs, as time continues to pass from the storm.
"We want our citizens to know that we hear you," Buscher said. "We know it's hard. We know you're without power. We're doing our best to restore power as quickly as possible and assess the damage."
Buscher said no monetary damage has been attached to the storms so far.
"It's not a time to put pencil to paper (regarding costs)," she said. "Our citizens without power don't want to hear about costs They want to hear about getting their power on."
Jerome parade to go off as scheduled
About 85 homes in the Village of Jerome remain without power, said President Mike Lopez.
Tuesday's Fourth of July parade will go as planned at 9 a.m., stepping off from the village hall, 2901 Leonard St.
Lopez said there is also a dumpster at city hall for residents to dispose of spoiled food items.
NWS confirms tornadoes in central Illinois
While the National Weather Service didn't confirm a tornado had touched down in Sangamon County in the immediate aftermath of the storm, it did confirm Saturday that five tornadoes had touched down during the storm, including one that passed through Chatham at 12:12 p.m. Thursday with winds reaching as high as 120 mph.
Two tornadoes touched down in Christian County later in the day – one near Sharpsburg at 12:26 p.m. and another near Taylorville at 12:38 p.m. Another tornado hit Logan County north of Lincoln at 12:26 p.m., which blocked off portions of Interstate 55 due to downed power lines near mile marker 133.
More: National Weather Service confirms five tornadoes in three-county area Thursday
NWS received several reports of storm damage in Springfield as the system moved through, with some being connected to that of a tornado, but no tornado was reported to touch down in the city proper as of Monday.
Red Cross to move shelter to BOS Center
During the press conference, Buscher announced that the American Red Cross would be moving their emergency shelter from the Springfield branch of the NAACP to the lower level of the Bank of Springfield (BOS) Center Tuesday afternoon.
There people can get a hot meal, charge their phones or other electronic devices and spend the night within the air-conditioned confines of the city's main convention center, Buscher said.
"I was out on Saturday knocking on doors of customers without power," Buscher said. "They told me that they wanted to have a place to go to charge their phones (and) maybe get a bite to eat. Those people want to sleep in their homes overnight, so the idea of the BOS Center opening their doors is that citizens have a place to go and feel safe."
Teresa Haley, the president of the Springfield branch of the NAACP and its state director, said she couldn't say exactly how many families and individuals had stayed at the facility because of privacy laws, but said people have been utilizing it.
"A few people have come from surrounding communities as well," said Haley, who has been a volunteer for the Red Cross for over 30 years.
Help in Chatham
The village has a small dumpster located in Community Park near the parking lot by diamond #3, near the Dewberry Trail entrance to the park.
The Chatham Area Public Library, 600 E. Spruce St., will be open their normal operating hours Monday (from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and will also Wi-Fi. They welcome all and their children with space to socialize, play and read for all ages.
Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Team
The Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Team is offering disaster relief services to residents of Springfield and central Illinois following Thursday's storm.
The team will primarily help clear areas on private property. They will prioritize their work based on hazards, elderly, inability to move vehicles, etc.
The team will arrive at Chatham Baptist Church, 1500 E. Walnut St., on Wednesday to start assessing the area. The saw teams will arrive on Thursday to begin work.
Anyone who has a need should email IBDRdirector@gmail.com and include a name, address, phone number and a brief description of help needed.
The Laborers' Disaster Response Team (LDRT) was deployed Thursday by the Springfield Police. While it isn't currently out, the team, which also assists homeowners, could be called back, Buscher said.
Cooling centers
With temperatures hovering around 90 degrees both Tuesday and Wednesday, here is a list of cooling centers around Springfield. For further information, call the Office of Community Relations at 217-789-2270.
Municipal Center East, 800 E. Monroe St., 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Municipal Center West, 300 S. Seventh St. 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon.-Fri
Lincoln Library, 326 S. Seventh St., 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Mon.-Wed.; 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thurs.-Sat.
Office of Community Relations, 1450 Groth St., 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
St. John’s Breadline, 430 N. Fifth St., 8 to 9 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri. (indoor dining); 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Saturday, Sunday and holidays
Salvation Army (Main Campus), 1600 Clear Lake Ave., entrance on south side, off of Martin Luther King Drive, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Salvation Army Overflow Shelter, 221 N. 11th St., Overnight Shelter 7 p.m. to 7 a.m., 7 days a week; Day Center (88 degrees or higher), 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., Mon.-Thurs.; Sat.-Sun. hours subject to staff and heat index.
Washington Street Mission, 408 N. Fourth St., 7:30 a.m. to 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 4:30 p.m., Mon.-Fri.
Helping Hands of Springfield, 1023 E. Washington St., 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m., Mon.-Fri.; 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Sat.-Sun.
State Journal-Register reporter Steven Spearie contributed to this story.
This article originally appeared on State Journal-Register: Nearly 10,000 still without power in Springfield area following storms
