Springfield city leaders gave a sobering estimate of damage across the city from a derecho that struck Thursday afternoon.
“This devastation has been compared to the ice storm of 1978,” Mayor Misty Buscher said at a Monday news conference. “It isn’t just like a tornado that hits one particular area. It is city-wide.”
“A disaster is an understatement at this point,” said City Water Light and Power Utility Engineer Doug Brown. A key concern is getting power restored. Just over 5,000 customers remained without electricity Wednesday morning, according to CWLP.
Brown said crews have been working 17 hour days. The first priority was to make sure hospitals and nursing homes had power and main streets were cleared. Crews from New Jersey, Indiana, Ohio, Missouri, Rochelle and Batavia, Illinois are in the city to help. Additional crews arrived Tuesday.
Of the remaining outages, Brown Monday offered an estimate that 65 percent would be restored by the end of Friday and 90 percent end of Sunday.
"It all depends on the complexity of repairs needed," Brown said.
Mayor Buscher reiterated those estimates on Tuesday.
Brown stated CWLP was looking at total replacement of over 100 electric poles, over 100 fuses and 1,000 insulators so far. But he said the department was processing orders to make sure the equipment would be available.
While main feeders might have been restored in certain areas, additional damage down the line could keep customers in the dark, he said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, about 425 locations of outages were still pending. “It is impossible to predict each individual outage repair with miles and miles of damage to our electric grid,” he said. At one point, customers without power dropped to roughly 7,400.
Along with crews from out of state, others have helped with debris removal including the Laborers Disaster Response Team. The Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Team will arrive Wednesday. Those who lack resources for cleanup can email ibdrdirector@gmail.com.
“It’s all hands on deck,” said Mayor Buscher.
The American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter for anyone impacted by the storms. It has been moved to a larger location, the BOS Center. Those in need can stay overnight. Springfield police officers will be there for security.
Several cooling and charging centers and other services are available.
Springfield Public Works Director Dave Fuchs said cleanup continues and an IDOT crew will be working with the city, likely for several weeks.
"We ask people to be patient and I know that's difficult. Bring your debris to the easement and put it on the curb," he said. "We're working as hard as we possibly can."
As for the scope of the work, he pointed out regular branch pickup takes a month to get through the city. The amount of material now is much greater.
Large dumpsters are being placed to allow for disposal of spoiled food ONLY. The locations:
600 Rickert at Lawrence
11th and Ash, southwest corner
Public Works can be contacted at 217-789-2255. After hours, call 217-789-2246 for dispatch.
Springfield Police and Fire Departments have remained busy since the storm. On Thursday, after the derecho, the main communications tower was out of service. A backup system was used and calls ran six times higher than on an average day. The calls in subsequent days have also remained higher.
Fire crews responded to accidents and, in some cases, extrications when motorists were in vehicles that were damaged by trees or debris.
Police say they received 1500 calls from when the storm occurred to Monday afternoon.
Mayor Buscher said she was in neighborhoods over the weekend, speaking with residents about their needs. She added they were polite, but many were growing frustrated with the lack of electricity.
Buscher Monday extended the local State of Emergency until Wednesday evening. She said she has authorized purchase of more electric poles to replace those broken in the storm, as well as overtime pay for work crews. On the night of the storm, the order allowed her to issue a curfew that is no longer in effect. She said that was enacted due to 133 live, downed power lines city-wide.
The mayor said it was too soon to put a price tag on the storm’s cost. She said the city could see some relief if there is a state disaster declaration.
She added one conversation that will happen with the city council is the possible investment in a system that would allow CWLP to know if any electric meter was receiving power.
At the height of outages, more than 40 thousand customers lacked electrical service. Leaders wanted to make clear the storm response has stretched city resources thin. And it appears a lot more work remains.
"We hear you," the mayor said. "We are doing our best."
