FOX 2

Snowfall leaves behind power outages in southern Missouri  

FARMINGTON, Mo. – This week’s wet and heavy snowfall resulted in thousands of power outages in areas south of St. Louis.

As of Thursday, Ameren Missouri reported crews were working to restore power to the final 100 customers who were affected. Nearly 10,000 customers were without power during the peak of the storm.

Lucas Anderson, director of the Emergency Management Agency for Iron County, said that some parts of the county got almost 10 inches of snow, which caused some tree branches to fall into power lines. He said approximately 800 Black River Electric customers were still without power on Thursday. Anderson said fewer than 20 Ameren Missouri customers were without power.

Anderson said the county is ready to help anyone without power get to a warm shelter. He encouraged them to call the county dispatch at 573- 546-4000 for assistance.

Iron County Sheriff Jeff Burkett joined other members of law enforcement in going door to door, checking on residents.

“Law enforcement has pulled together to kind of work together on making sure our citizens are safe,” Burkett said. “Letting them know we have warming areas in different areas of the county.”

In St. Francois County, Brendan Dickerson, a plow truck operator with Lance’s Landscaping and Excavating, said the snow kept workers busy.

“As the snow started coming down, we were plowing all night,” Dickerson said.

McLain Motors in Farmington shut down on Wednesday as a safety precaution.

“We didn’t want customers out here walking around, so we decided to close down for the day,” said Jake McLain, company owner.

The business reopened on Thursday.