Kansas City Power & Light
PAR Electric linemen help Kansas City Power & Light to restore power following a summer storm.
PAR Electric linemen help Kansas City Power & Light to restore power following a summer storm.
PAR Electric linemen help Kansas City Power & Light to restore power following a summer storm.
PAR Electric linemen help Kansas City Power & Light to restore power following a summer storm.
PAR Electric linemen help Kansas City Power & Light to restore power following a summer storm.

Summer Storms Inflicts Major Power Outages in Midwest

Aug. 12, 2017
High winds reaching 70 mph inflicted as many as 140,000 power outages in Kansas City Power & Light's service territory. A severe storm also blasted Ameren's service territories in Missouri and Illinois, bringing down 500 wires and knocking 100,000 customers out of power at its peak.

High winds reaching 70 mph inflicted as many as 140,000 power outages in Kansas City Power & Light's (KCP&L) service territory. The storm, which damaged trees, also damaged about 200 utility poles, according to KCP&L. During the multi-day restoration, about 600 crews from around Kansas City focused on repairing downed wires and poles, according to the Kansas City Star.   

“This was an historic storm in terms of number of outages, and it hit at a terrible time with temperatures being so hot," says Jeremy McNeive, manager of media communications for KCP&L.  

Ameren Illinois was also hit by a strong storm across the St. Louis metropolitan area in late July. More than 100 linemen from Oklahoma and Wisconsin provided mutual assistance following the storm, and 400 workers from Ameren Missouri helped with the restoration effort. At the height of the storm, the outages totaled 55,000 in Missouri and 40,000 in Illinois, according to Fox2Now.  

The storm, which brought down 500 lines, caused damage in Alton, Edwardsville, and Maryville, Illinois and St. Charles and north St. Louis County, Missouri. To assess damage, Ameren Missouri used both a drone and a helicopter.

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