2 p.m.
Southwestern Electric crews continue to make progress in restoring power this afternoon after thousands of Southern Illinois residents lost service this morning when a severe storm brought down trees, broke poles and downed power lines.
At 2 p.m., linemen had restored power to 5,700 cooperative members. About 2,800 Southwestern Electric members remained without power, down from 8,500 earlier today.
Linemen remain on site in Madison, Bond, Fayette and Effingham counties this afternoon. At present, 1,770 Fayette County members are without power, 400 Madison County members are without service, and 240 members in Effingham County are without power. The remaining outages are scattered across Southwestern’s service area.
Members are cautioned to avoid all downed and low-hanging power lines. The lines may be energized, or become energized without warning.