ST. LOUIS — The National Weather Service in St. Louis last night reported their damage survey teams found evidence of five tornado touchdowns in its coverage area Sunday.
One of the tornadoes passed through the River Region.
An EF3 twister with winds up to 150 miles an hour, was on the ground for more than 42 miles. It blew through Coffman, St. Mary and Chester before dissipating.
Another EF3 tornado hit Fredericktown and continued for 16.5 miles. The three other tornadoes were short lived, lasting two miles each or less, according to the NWS.
Meanwhile the clean up continues with highways through the affected areas now reopened after being cleared of debris and fallen electrical poles and lines.
Citizens Electric Corporation (CEC) reported Tuesday that it was making significant progress in storm restoration efforts following damage to widespread areas within the CEC service territory.
Within the first 24 hours after the storm, CEC and local electrical contractors have repaired numerous transmission structures and have replaced or repaired over 40 distribution poles in Perry and Ste. Genevieve counties.
Vice President of Operations, Curt Iffert estimates that most all power should be restored to members by this afternoon.
He said members located within remote areas may experience longer times of restoration due to possible timber clearing and other unique challenges.
If weather becomes an issue later in the week, crews will plan to work through the weekend as needed.
Fallen Power Line Reminders:
- Members should not attempt to remove or trim foliage within 10 feet of a power line. If a tree or tree limbs have fallen on a power line or pulled down, do not attempt to get close to the line.
- The public is reminded to never touch, move, or drive over downed power lines when clearing debris from yards, roads, driveways, and other areas.
General Reminders:
- Members who have damaged or exposed electrical equipment that is not property of Citizens need to request a contractor to repair equipment before CEC linemen can safely reconnect.
- To report an outage or to speak with a member services representative, please call 1-877- 876-3511 and follow the prompts.