Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas Ice Storm Restoration Update
Little Rock, Ark. – Feb. 16, 2009 – 8 a.m. – Approximately 7,350 electric
cooperative members remain without electric service. This is down from a
peak of more than 210,300 after the devasting Jan. 26 ice storm.
The number of cooperatives with outages is at four, down from 12. The
largest concentration of outages is northeast Arkansas.
More than 4,300 line workers are working to rebuild electric distribution
infrastructure and reestablish electric service for cooperative members.
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas urges cooperative members to use
caution both within and outside their homes. Candles, lanterns and temporary
heating devices can pose a fire hazard. Home generators should be properly
vented to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, and they should be connected to
home wiring through appropriate protective devices to prevent power from
feeding back onto the utility’s wires.
The cooperatives with outages are: Clay County Electric Cooperative,
Corning; Craighead Electric Cooperative, Jonesboro; Mississippi County
Electric Cooperative, Blytheville; and Petit Jean Electric Cooperative,
Clinton. (A chart is attached for outages by cooperative)
The public is cautioned to avoid any downed power lines and to report them
immediately to local authorities.
The Electric Cooperatives of Arkansas comprise 17 electric distribution
cooperatives; Arkansas Electric Cooperatives Inc. (AECI), a Little
Rock-based cooperative that provides various services to the distribution
cooperatives; and Arkansas Electric Cooperative Corp. (AECC), a generation
and transmission cooperative. The distribution cooperatives provide
electricity to approximately 490,000 members, or customers, in Arkansas and
surrounding states.
