NWS warns wind gusts could cause damage, more power outages in Belleville
High winds that came with a late-autumn storm Tuesday night caused scattered power outages throughout the metro-east.
The risk will continue throughout the day Wednesday.
A high-wind warning continues throughout the St. Louis area until at least 3 p.m. According to the National Weather Service, winds will blow out of the west 25 to 30 mph with gusts up to 60 mph. The highest winds will arrive to the region after 10 a.m., according to the NWS.
According to Ameren Illinois, which opened its emergency response center in Collinsville to coordinate the efforts to restore power to those customers that lost it, about 1,222 homes were without service Wednesday morning. That includes mostly residents of Belleville and Edwardsville.
At 4 a.m., the height of the storm, there were 15,000 outages across across the Ameren service area, according to Ameren spokesman Brian Bretsch said.
By 9:30 a.m., Bretsch said that number had been reduced to less than 400 homes in Madison County and less than 1,000 in St. Clair.
“We’re getting the outages repaired as quickly and as safely as we can,” he said. “The wind is making it somewhat challenging because the wind is coming in gusts and is not steady. We have to take our time and do our jobs safely.”
Because of the scattered nature of some of the outages, some isolated homes may be without power though the surrounding neighborhood has been uneffected. Bretsch encouraged those residents without power to call Ameren at 1-800-755-5000.
The NWS advises residents stay away from forested areas and trees and branches. They also should stay in lower levels of buildings, away from windows.
“Now that the sun is out, everybody wants to go outside and assess damages,” Bretsch said. “If you see power lines down, a good rule is to keep family, friends and pets 20 feet away. Assume it’s an energized wire ... move away quickly, make the area safe and call Ameren.”
Some light damage has been observed in Belleville and Swansea, but Herb Simmons, director of St. Clair County Emergency Management, says no serious damage had been reported as of about 8:30 a.m. At about 9 a.m., the Belleville Fire Department was dispatched to the 100 block of West Main on the report of downed wires.
Bretsch said high wind gusts Tuesday night were more prevalent to the north, where they caused at least 10 downed power polls in Quincy.
The BND will continue to monitor the weather, power outages and potential damage reports throughout the day.
This story was originally published November 27, 2019 at 8:54 AM.