Thousands without power in the Heartland; storm damage reported

(KFVS) - Thousands of power outages were reported Friday morning, June 17 in the Heartland as storms moved through the Heartland.

The storms packed strong winds and small hail.

The National Weather Service says there are scattered reports of downed trees and power lines.

A large tree fell and crushed the porch of a home in Du Quoin, Ill.

Power crews are working as fast as they can to make repairs and restore power. During the height of the power outages, there were more than 5,000 customers without service.

This included the neighborhood in the Anna Street and Perry Avenue area of Cape Girardeau where a tree fell onto a power line and took out a utility pole that had a transformer attached to it. Ameren Missouri crews said they expected to have repairs made and power restored by 2 p.m.

Some SSM Health Illinois locations are without power and without working phone lines in Benton and Centralia. Some locations are still seeing patients, but labs will not be available.

The following are power outages reported as of 9:30 p.m.

Ameren Illinois:

• Jefferson County: 872 customers
• Saline County: 54 customers

Southeast Illinois Electric Co-op:

• 15 customers in their coverage area

Customers needing to report an outage are urged to call their provider, not 911.

Franklin County Emergency Management Agency adds that safety agencies should not be contacted to find out when power will be restored.

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