Work Continues to Restore Power

It's been a long few days for residents without power, and the cold weather hitting the Ozarks is not helping.  KOLR10 News wanted to see how people are coping through the frigid temps.

It's a winter wonderland turned nightmare for the Coleman family.  Jacqie Coleman, Springfield resident with no heat, "I've never seen anything like this in my life!  When I walked outside Saturday morning to get my dogs, honest to God, I thought it was the end of the world."

"This is a very major ice storm it takes a while to put these systems back in place we have to do it safely." says John Twitty, the CEO of City Utilities.

Over a hundred and fifty city utility crews are working 16 hour shifts, trying to restore power and trim trees off the power lines.

Twitty says, "You have to remember we had almost 60 hours of freezing rain before it stopped."  He also asks for patience until power is restored.

The ice on tree limbs is the biggest reason why so many across the Ozarks don't have power. But come time for all the ice to melt, there could be another problem that could keep you in the dark.

Twitty says, "As the thaw begins you have trees and ice going away, rebounding back into a power line causing more outages."

Even with a small heater and packed house of people and pets, Coleman is bracing for another cold night.

Also something residents need to remember, if your power lines are disconnected from the weather head on your house, it can not be fixed by City Utility crews.  Before power can be restored to your house, you will need to contact an electrician to fix the weather head then crews will restore power.

Springfield residents trying to let City Utilities know of their power is out need to call 863-9000.