Granite City prepares to send disaster declaration to Illinois governor, citizens shocked by storm intensity
Locals thankful to Ameren and other crews for their immediate response, quickly removing hundreds of fallen trees, branches and power lines.
ST. LOUIS, Mo. (First Alert 4) - Go down any street in Granite City this week, or the next couple, and you’ll see the endless piles of debris stacked neatly on the side of the road. Mayor Mike Parkinson tells First Alert 4 that the city will send a declaration up to the state level for -- he looked over the damage and put his hands on his hips before saying, “It’s a much more daunting task than just storm cleanup.”
“Granite City was the hardest hit community across Ameren Illinois’ service territory,” Ameren Illinois said in a statement. “The community took a direct hit from the severe weather. At peak, more than 18,000 customers were without power in Madison County. After assessing damage to the area, crews counted nearly 90 poles that were either severely damaged or down on the ground along with ing infrastructure.”
Mayor Parkinson says the disaster declaration is being sent up the chain today and is specifically for Granite City.
Continuing Coverage
Ameren Illinois, out-of-state crews and local city and Madison County employees descended on the streets of Granite City after the storm struck on Friday night. Residents in the area around McKinley and Roosevelt said the storm was something -- and that dozens of trucks were lining the streets -- fighting the heavy fallen trees.
Branches are still in houses, the streets are still littered with limbs and woodchips -- residents today are finally stepping out to clean up some of their homes. Susan, a local woman, said that two power cables from different sides of the street came to rest in her yard -- keeping her from cleaning up the area until today.
The residents are very thankful to the crews who came to help, but realize there’s plenty of work left to be done.
AMEREN RESPONSE:
While many Ameren crews were busy working in Missouri over the weekend, just as many were out working the streets of the Metro East.
Ameren Illinois says that at its height, over 40,000 people were without power in Southern Illinois. But, within 12 hours, over half had power back.
But it wasn’t just Granite City, Ameren says other areas affected included Alton, East St. Louis, Decatur, Lincoln, Bloomington and Marion.
Ameren Illinois called in all available resources to assist with restoration efforts. By 4:20 p.m., Saturday, nearly 75% of customers were restored.
Avery Martinez covers water, ag & the environment for First Alert 4. He is also a Report for America Corps member, as well as a member of the Mississippi River Basin Ag & Water Desk. His coverage ranges from EPA s to corn farms and hunting concerns, and local water rates to rancher mental health.
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