Electric Utility Operations

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.

Amy Fischbach

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.

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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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About the Author

Amy Fischbach | Electric Utilities Operations

Amy Fischbach is the Field Editor for T&D World magazine and manages the Electric Utility Operations section. She is the host of the Line Life Podcast, which celebrates the grit, courage and inspirational teamwork of the line trade. She also works on the annual Lineworker Supplement and the Vegetation Management Supplement as well as the Lineman Life and Lineman's Rodeo News enewsletters. Amy also covers events such as the Trees & Utilities conference and the International Lineman's Rodeo. She is the past president of the ASBPE Educational Foundation and ASBPE and earned her bachelor's and master's degrees in journalism from Kansas State University. She can be reached at [email protected].