Power slowly coming back to Ameren customers in Camden County; power is back for Cole County customers

Editor's note: The numbers in this story will change as more residents' power is either restored or more outages are reported.

CAMDEN COUNTY, Mo. (KMIZ)

There has been a power outage reported for Ameren Missouri customers in Camden County on Thursday night.

Many people are still affected by the outage in Camden County. Cole County also went through a significant outage.

Ameren's online records indicate that 4,947 customers were without power at the peak of the outage, which is roughly 23.5% of customers in the county. There are currently 1,071 customers without power.

About 1,448 customers in Cole County were affected at the outage's peak. The outage was resolved around 2:35 p.m. Friday.

An Ameren Missouri spokesman told ABC 17 on Thursday night that the power outage is weather-related. The spokesman said on Friday that it does not have a time table for how long it will take to restore power, but did say it could take as late as Friday evening to fix it.

"We appreciate our customers’ patience as these restoration efforts continue today, as crews face challenging and ever-changing weather conditions as severe weather and wind gusts persist," Ameren Missouri said in an email to ABC 17 on Friday morning. "Crews are preparing to work into the evening to restore service."  

Mid-Missouri has been rocked by cold temperatures this week, with subzero temperatures and wind chills. Experts warn the frigid cold could lead to frostbite or hypothermia.

According to Chipp Webb, the Director of the Central Missouri Division of Ameren, the power outages are due to the cold weather and everyone running their furnaces at the same time. This can override the power grid and cause power outages. 

Turning the power back on can be tricky, Webb said. If all the power goes back at the same time, there is the potential for the grid to be overloaded again and another outage can occur. Because of this, power must be reintroduced in small sections.

“All these houses have been out of power for an hour or two or three or even longer,” Webb said early Friday. “When we turn the power back on, all the furnaces will be on again and can cause another overload.”

The number of outages in both counties fluctuated up and down throughout most of Friday.

According to Webb, the best thing to do if experiencing a power outage is to go online and report it on Ameren’s website, or call their 800 number. 

It is important to do that because even if Ameren is addressing a big outage in your area, it is good to let them know a specific residence is without power. There is a potential to miss your location if the outage is not reported. 

Cole County EMS Chief Eric Hoy said there are a few things you can do to keep warm if your power gets shut off. Bundling up if you need to stay inside is the best way to maintain your body heat.

“Layer and cover exposed skin,” Hoy said. “The number one spot for heat loss is your scalp so if you can put on a hat it goes a long way. Covering your hands and feet will also go along way.”  

According to Hoy, infants and children as well as the elderly are most susceptible to the cold weather. 

“Folks who are diabetic are much more prone to heat loss,” Hoy said. “They don’t have the same access to energy sources that the normally healthy person does.”  

There are warming stations in Jefferson City. Hoy urges the public to reach out to public safety and they can point you in the right direction. 

Warming centers in Camden County include:

Camden County Library District
89 Rodeo Road
Camdenton,  MO  65020

Osage Beach Library
1064 Gutridge Lane
Osage Beach,  MO  65065

Sunrise Beach Library
14156 North State Highway 5
Sunrise Beach,  MO  65079

Climax Springs Library
14157 North State Highway 7
Climax Springs,  MO  65324

Macks Creek Library
90 State Road N
Macks Creek,  MO  65786

Warming centers in Cole County include:

Missouri River Regional Library
214 Adams Street
Jefferson City,  MO  65101

Salvation Army Jefferson City
927 Jefferson Street
Jefferson City,  MO  65101

Clarke Senior Center
1310 Linden Drive
Jefferson City,  MO  65109

This story is developing.