Ameren Illinois Storm Update

Summary:

Ameren crews and contractors had made significant progress overnight Wednesday into Thursday restoring power in the wake of severe thunderstorms that impacted the region. A second round of storms came through on Thursday afternoon and into the evening, including a tornado that touched down between Chillicothe and Washburn north of Peoria.

Peak outage count was approximately 86,000. Approximately 44% of the outages have been restored since Thursday, June. 11. Major damage and remaining outages were mostly concentrated in the North Region (Peoria, Eastern, Decatur) after the first storm. The second round hit the north as well as in the East Region (Vermilion and Champaign counties). We have significant pole and wire damage from both storms to repair and re-build today and into the weekend. Initial damage assessment Friday morning is critical to determine needed resources. Because of the significant widespread damage incurred, this will be a multi-day restoration event.

The forecast calls for cooler temperatures today, which is good relief for customers and crews. However, another round of storms is expected to impact the territory on Saturday evening.

CURRENT SITUATION

• Approximately 41,000 customers are without power at the time of this report. The highest concentration of remaining outages is in our North Region and East Region.
• Significant damage to Distribution and sub-transmission poles. Crews are performing damage assessment this morning and accurate count of poles and wire down is being determined.
• Replacing a broken power pole is one of the most complex steps in restoration. Depending on the damage and site conditions, it can take several hours to complete.
• See the Ameren outage map for the latest: www.ameren.com/outagemap

RESTORATION RESOURCES

• Crews worked overnight on Wednesday into Thursday to restore outages before the second round of severe weather impacted the mid-section of the service territory on Thursday evening. Approximately 1,100 in-house workers, support personnel, and contractor resources (vegetation and electric) were currently engaged in storm restoration on Thursday. More crews and resources are in route to the impacted areas today. The teams are focused on damage assessment and logistics to establish restoration estimates.

ESTIMATED SAFE RESTORATION TIME (or ESRTs)

• Crews made significant progress in the North Region before round two of severe weather. Global ESRTs will be determined by this afternoon and placed on orders today. Because of the significant widespread damage incurred, this will be a multi-day restoration event.

COMMUNICATION

• We will execute out-bound communications to impacted customers alerting them to expect restoration to extend to the weekend.
• We know there is never a good time to lose power, and it can be frustrating for our customers. We appreciate the patience and understanding of our customers as crews work hard to get the power restored.
• Real-time outage details and safety information are available at Ameren.com/outage. Customers and media can also receive updates on outage restoration by following the Ameren Illinois news feed at twitter.com/AmerenIllinois and Facebook.com/AmerenIllinois.
• Be sure to call or visit elderly neighbors or anyone who is homebound, if their power is out, to ensure they are physically safe, have necessary medications, and are not at any risk.

HOW AMEREN ILLINOIS SAFELY RESTORES POWER

• Priority one is to communicate with key stakeholders and respond to life-threatening emergencies, such as downed-wires, and to handle all problems impacting critical infrastructure such as hospitals and other emergency response facilities - police and fire.
• Once power is restored to critical infrastructure, crews focus on getting the most customers restored in the quickest and most efficient manner. Crews begin with main lines - those that can restore power to perhaps thousands of people - and then move to lines that affect hundreds, dozens and individual homes.
• This is why homes in the same neighborhoods may be restored at different times, as well as why businesses are sometimes restored first - because of their general location along primary power lines.

SAFETY

• Safety is the first and foremost concern during any weather event. Stay clear of any downed power lines or poles, as well as brush, shrubs and downed trees that may hide them. Always assume a downed wire is live.
• Customers should report any downed power lines to Ameren Illinois via the app or customer service line (800-755-5000).
• If the power is out, check circuit breakers or fuses - an outage might be the result of a household problem. Avoid any risk of electrical shock and do not enter any flooded areas.

Generator Safety - https://www.ameren.com/company/safety/extreme-weather-safety/portable-generator-safety