PERRYVILLE – After announcing that most of the service interruptions had been resolved Citizens Electric Crews were back at work Sunday afternoon when new outages occurred.
“We are aware of new outages and expect interruptions to continue as ice melts from trees and power lines.
Rest assured, our team is fully engaged today with 124 lineworkers and additional support staff working (Sunday, January 12) to restore power to the members of Citizens Electric Corporation.” CEC stated on its Facebook page.
“We have crews visiting locations today that are experiencing an individual service outage. We will restore power to services that are safe and ready to restore. Otherwise, we will leave a door hanger to notify members of their next steps to have power restored.”
It’s very important that members with damage to their service entrance equipment have an electrician make repairs. After repairs are made, Citizens will need to be notified to restore power to that location. Members are responsible for: weather-head, conduit, meter base, grounding rod and conductor.
Citizens Electric is the owner and holds responsibility for the meter which may only be installed or removed by Citizens Electric representatives.
We value your membership. Member Service Representatives are available today by calling 877-876-3511, option 5.
Earlier Sunday Citizens Electric Corporation announced on its Facebook page and in a news release that power has been restored to nearly all members impacted by the recent winter storms.
The utility said the severe winter storms, which swept through the region on January 5 and again January 10, brought significant challenges, including heavy snow, ice accumulation, and winds that led to downed power lines and damaged equipment. At the peak of the storm, 12,154 members were without power.
“We are incredibly grateful for the patience and understanding shown by our members during this challenging time,” said Jason Cates, Chief Executive Officer of Citizens Electric Corporation. “Our crews faced dangerous conditions, but their commitment to restoring power safely and efficiently never wavered. We are proud of their dedication and hard work.”
Citizens Electric deployed 140 linemen and partnered with mutual aid teams from Crawford Electric Cooperative and Cuivre River Electric Cooperative in addition to contractors and tree trimming crews to expedite restoration efforts. In total, 152 utility poles, and various other pieces of equipment were repaired or replaced, over seven days and approximately twenty thousand-man hours worked.
Citizens Electric also leveraged real-time updates through social media, email, phone, text, correspondence with numerous news media outlets and its website to keep members informed throughout the restoration process. These updates provided timely information on restoration progress and safety tips.
While restoration is nearly complete, Citizens Electric Corporation encourages members to report any lingering issues, such as damaged service equipment, by contacting our office at 1-877-876-3511.
“We remain committed to serving our members with reliable power and exceptional service, even during the most trying times,” added Cates. “Thank you again for your trust and support.”
The Perryville community is fortunate to have the Missouri Baptist Disaster Relief Chapter of the Southern Baptist Church with us for an extended visit. They are here to assist both City and County residents by offering help with clearing downed or damaged trees and limbs.
They also have an electrician on staff. If you are financially unable to contract with an electrician to restore your private electric service, please call them at the number provided as they may be able to help with this as well.
Phone number to call to request assistance (573) 418-4508.
To request assistance, please visit the basement of First Baptist Church (416 North Main) from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Please note that work cannot begin until the ice has melted from the trees and conditions are safe. Signing up does not guarantee service, as properties will be assessed based on need and severity.
Let’s extend a warm welcome to these volunteer heroes and thank them for their generous service and hard work in our community
About Citizens Electric Corporation
Citizens Electric Corporation, established in 1947, is a not-for-profit corporation operating as an electric cooperative located in Perryville, Missouri. Citizens Electric services over 27,000 members in Perry County, Ste. Genevieve County and portions of Cape Girardeau, Bollinger, Jefferson, and St. Francois County. For more information, visit www.cecmo.com or follow Citizens Electric on Facebook and LinkedIn.