As of 9:45am today (Fri) 6,485 customers in the Storm Lake area are without power.
Power is expected to be restored to customers throughout the afternoon, though for some it may be this evening.
In addition to Storm Lake, customers in the following areas are also experiencing storm-related outages: Early, Fonda, Juniata, Nemaha, Newell, Sulphur Springs, Truesdale and Varina.
At around 1:15 this morning, a powerful storm in the Storm Lake area heavily damaged three transmission lines that provide power to the area, breaking some two dozen transmission poles and taking down overhead lines.
Overnight and this morning, MidAmerican dispatched additional line and tree crews to affected areas to work on restoration.
A news release says they’re focusing efforts on restoring those transmission lines and expect they can get them back on by late morning. Once they can restore the arterial lines, it will enable them to start restoring large numbers of customers.
MidAmerican’s transmission system feeds power to its distribution system, and that, too, sustained damage. So far they’ve identified at least ten broken poles in Storm Lake and there are downed overhead lines at several locations. MidAm crews will focus on restoring the largest number of customers first, and they will continue until they restore every customer who can safely receive service.
If you see a downed line, assume it’s energized and do not approach it. For electric emergencies, including downed power lines, call 1-800-799-4443.
To report an outage or check on the status of an outage, you can do so through www.MidAmericanEnergy.com or call 888-427-5632. They will post estimated restoration times as soon as they are available.
