Residents in Southern Illinois continue to dig out fromfromfrom the winter storm that hit our region late Saturday night. Here at the WFIW studios, approximately 9 inches of snow fell along with a mixture of ice that made driving conditions very slick and hazardous. Most highways in the region are in good driving condition with secondary streets in some areas are still snow covered and slick. Most schools in Southern Illinois remain closed today and that includes all Wayne County schools. For a complete list of Closings & Delays, visit the link on our website, wfiwradio.com. The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) and Illinois State Police are still warning motorists of the scattered slick spots that may be encountered on area roadways and if travel is necessary, to drive cautiously—slowing down, increasing braking distances, and maintaining safe distances between vehicles. For ongoing updates, individuals can check road conditions at GettingAroundIllinois.com and follow IDOT on social media platforms like Facebook and X. One of the areas hardest hit are parts of deep Southern Illinois served by Ameren Illinois who stated the freezing temperatures and high winds have caused damage to power lines, transformers and other equipment.
Ameren also says they have 800 resources to help with restoring electric to customers in the region. Some of which are tree trimmers, damaged assessors and more. As of late Monday, roughly 22,000 Ameren customers were still left in the dark. However, Ameren anticipates they will restore power to roughly 80% of them by later tonight.
State Senator Dale Fowler says the process of disaster declarations in Southern Illinois is under way. Fowler says he has been in communication with the Governor’s office and local emergency responders to keep the process moving forward. 150 additional lineman trucks have arrived from neighboring states to work to restore power in Southern Illinois and are staged at Mountain Dew Park in Marion.
Comments