Springfield city leaders Thursday continued asking for patience as they make progress on getting electricity restored in various parts of the town.
A derecho tore through Springfield and surrounding communities on Thursday, June 29. Damage was widespread and significant, with many trees down and power poles broken. As many as 40,000 customers in Springfield were out of power after the storm. As of Thursday evening, the number was around 3,600.
"It was a hurricane-style event," said City Water, Light and Power Utility Engineer Doug Brown.
Since then, local and out of town crews have fanned out to make repairs. While they are making progress, Brown cautioned additional severe weather, or discovering more complex repairs needed in some locations, might delay the work.
"Almost every county had damage," said Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher, who spoke with Illinois Emergency Management Agency officials. "They said Sangamon County was the eye of the storm."
She said the city is compiling cost data as part of an effort to seek federal assistance. The state will need to show at least $22-million in costs from storm repairs and cleanup to qualify.
The city is also discussing a modernization of the meter system. Known as Advanced Metering Infrastructure — or AMI — it would allow for two-way communication between the customer's connection and the utility. It would give CWLP knowledge of where power is out and, in some cases, why.
Brown said he anticipates the cost of replacing older meters and installing the communication system would be around $20 million. Buscher said she will continue to bring up the project with the council.
Find the latest from CWLP here.
