(April 1, 2023 – 5:45 p.m.) - Strong winds continued sweeping across the Meriwether Lewis Electric Cooperative area today bringing more power outages to Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lewis and Perry counties. Normal operation has essentially returned to all areas except Lewis County. At this hour, less than 300 remain without power.
Approximately 200 of these are concentrated in the area that includes Seiber Ridge, Cochran Road, Gaither Hinson Road and adjoining locations of Lewis County. Damage is so extensive, including four broken poles, that repairs will carry over to tomorrow. Crews are pushing hard to accomplish as much as possible today. For the safety of those working, efforts will suspend later tonight to allow time to rest, refocus and start fresh Sunday.
MLEC reminds members to follow these guidelines as crews continue working:
- If you do not have electric service, report it by phone or using the MLEC mobile app.
- If someone in your home uses special medical equipment, follow your emergency plan and make arrangements to be moved to a location that has electricity if necessary.
- Contact MLEC if you see power lines on the ground or caught in trees and do not try to move them. If touched, they could cause electrocution or serious injury.
- Use extreme caution when using a generator. A generator can send electricity back through electric lines and electrocute linemen or others involved in restoration efforts.
- Keep refrigerators and freezers closed as much as possible to retain the inside temperature.
- If the weatherhead at your home is torn down, an electrician will need to repair this before MLEC can restore power.
- If you are an MLConnect customer and power has returned but Internet has not, unplug power to the router for a few minutes instead of using the reset button. If this does not restore service, call your local MLEC office; choose OPTION 3, then OPTION 2.
MLEC is a member-owned, not-for-profit electric utility serving more than 35,000 meters in Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lewis and Perry counties. We connect our communities to a better quality of life through power, broadband and committed service. Learn more at www.mlec.com.
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