10:55 p.m.
About 250 Southwestern Electric members remain without power tonight after strong storms swept across Southern Illinois earlier this evening, damaging equipment, breaking poles and bringing down trees and power lines.
As of 10:40 p.m., Southwestern’s operations and engineering teams had surveyed lines and identified outages at 21 sites spread across 90 miles of Southwestern Electric’s service area, between Pontoon Beach and Beecher City.
While crews continue to make repairs, since outages are isolated and scattered across the cooperative’s service area, progress has been steady but slow. Linemen are prepared to work overnight in areas where storm damage is extensive.
Members who see downed or sagging power lines should stay clear of the area and contact Southwestern Electric Cooperative at (800) 637-8667. In addition, people clearing debris should look for sagging or fallen wires before they begin working and treat every powerline as if it’s energized.