Thousands Without Power
By Greg Brock
CREATED May. 23, 2011
(News Release)
JOPLIN, MO – May 23, 2011 – The Empire District Electric Company reports that as of 4:00 p.m. approximately 14,000 customers remain without service. This number can fluctuate due to weather or other challenges that may arise during the restoration process. The largest number of customers without power is in Joplin; however, customers in Diamond, Granby, Sarcoxie, and Wentworth are also experiencing outages due to severe weather.
Empire crews plus additional contract crews are working to repair Empire’s transmission system. Crews from Empire’s Midwest Mutual Assistance group are en route to aid in the restoration process. Repairs to the transmission system are essential in order for power to flow to the distribution system and into customer’s homes. Work continues to assess damage to Empire’s distribution system because of storms throughout the day. Employees also gathered necessary equipment to facilitate the restoration operation.
Empire encourages customers to make necessary arrangements to keep themselves and their family safe as this situation will be a multi-day event.
Customers are also encouraged to remember these safety tips:
Safety Tips
Stay away from power lines. They are bare wires and not insulated. Downed power lines may appear to be harmless, but could be energized and dangerous.
If a person or object is in contact with a power line, don’t touch the person, object, or line. The electric current could flow through you. Call 911 and Empire District Electric Company immediately.
If your vehicle is in contact with a power line, stay inside the car. Warn others not to touch the car or the power line.
If you must leave your vehicle, jump clear to avoid being in contact with the car and the ground at the same time.
Generator Safety Tips
Follow the manufacturer’s instructions for proper usage of a portable generator.
Operate the generator outdoors to avoid deadly fumes accumulating in the house.
When using a portable generator, plug appliances directly into the generator.
Never connect a portable generator to your home’s main electrical panel; it can back feed into electric lines and endanger line workers and others.
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