Southern Illinois storms knock out power, damage barbecue restaurant
Storms rolled through southern Illinois Monday night and early Tuesday, knocking down power lines and damaging a barbecue restaurant.
Two area utilities said about 3,400 customers did not have power Tuesday morning.
Ameren Illinois reported over 1,800 power outages in southern Illinois, and the SouthEastern Illinois Electric Cooperative said there were nearly 1,600 power outages, with 1,300 in the Lake of Egypt area Tuesday morning.
Roads also were blocked off because of downed trees and power poles in the region.
Triple E BBQ in the Lake of Egypt area of Williamson County was damaged early Tuesday. The restaurant posted on its Facebook page that it will be closed “until further notice due to storm damage.”
The Williamson County Sheriff’s Office reported there are “a large number of trees across roadways throughout the county and residents are experiencing power outages. The heaviest concentration of road blockage due to downed trees is in the southern part of Williamson County, specifically the areas of I-24, Lake of Egypt Road, and South Market Street.”
Ameren Illinois reports there were 329 Williamson County customers without power on Tuesday morning.
Elsewhere, the utility said there were 528 outages in Gallatin County, 444 in Saline County, 265 in Johnson County, 140 in Randolph County and 107 in Union County.
The Chester Emergency Management said there were “numerous power poles” damaged along State Street/Route 150. According to its website, Chester District 139 schools were closed on Tuesday due to the power outages.
The National Weather Service in St. Louis said Tuesday it was sending out a damage survey team to the Chester area. It also said crews will go to Chesterfield, Missouri, and southern Missouri. The agency had forecasted severe thunderstorms with the possibility of tornadoes for the region.
