News : Severe storms hammer Iowa; efforts to restore electric service continue

Outages in some areas expected to last a few days, some customers asked to reduce usage

Crews from Interstate Power and Light Co. (IPL), an Alliant Energy company, have converged on central and east-central Iowa where storms damaged electric structures, poles, and lines, causing widespread customer outages.

Storms began Monday morning and strong straight-line winds caused widespread damage. Damage assessments, repair work and crew staging have been occurring in areas mostly along and north of Highway 30. The main area of damage stretches from east of I-35 to the Mississippi River. The worst damage to the electric system is in Marshall, Tama, Benton, and northern Linn Counties.

Initial assessments have identified nearly 500 damaged utility poles and dozens of miles of power lines down in this area. Major equipment within the substations that serve the communities of Clutier and Garwin is damaged, which will prolong restoration work. Due to the storm damage in Garwin, natural gas service was also shut off to the community.

Crews have quickly worked to restore power to customers, from a high of more than 40,000 customers out early Monday morning to approximately 27,000 customers out as of 3:30 p.m. Monday afternoon. Crews will continue work this evening to restore power to as many customers as possible. However, it is likely in several areas where the worst damage occurred that customers will be out until mid-week.

“The damage in some communities from these winds is consistent with the damage from a tornado. However, due to the straight-line winds, this damage stretches miles and miles,” says Vern Gebhart, Vice President of Energy Delivery for Alliant Energy. “We have all resources within our company, as well as additional contractor crews focused on restoring power to impacted customers. We appreciate your patience and assure you we won’t stop until all customers are restored.”

Nearly 200 crewmembers from across the state have either arrived or will soon be arriving from throughout the Alliant Energy service territory to supplement the crews already working in the storm-damaged area. This includes crews from Alliant Energy, ITC Midwest, and contractor crews supporting the efforts of both companies. They will continue to safely work until every customer has been restored. Crew shifts will be managed to give crews the rest time needed to work as efficiently and safely as possible.

The damage impacted high-voltage transmission lines, distribution lines carrying power through neighborhoods and service lines, which bring power to individual homes. Crews will focus restoration on the transmission and distribution systems first, finishing with the individual service lines in order to restore power to as many customers as quickly as possible.

In addition, customers in Marshall, Tama, Benton and northern Linn County are asked to conserve energy usage if they do have power. Crews will be switching electric feeds to restore customers as quickly as possible, so non-damaged equipment in the region will be taxed by additional customers and warm weather. Alliant Energy appreciates customers’ efforts to reduce their energy usage until permanent repairs can be made.

Safety is of significant concern in a major storm event. Remember to stay away from downed power lines, always assume they are energized. Be particularly careful when clearing tree limbs or brush. If you plan to use a generator to power your home, don’t do so until you’ve separated from your utility’s electric system. Alliant Energy customers are asked to contact 1-800-ALLIANT and note their generator usage with a service representative so that our crews are aware of the situation.

Finally, if the storm has caused damage to the equipment located on your home or business that connects to our service line, you need to contact an electrician for repairs before Alliant Energy can restore power. Contacting your electrician immediately will reduce the length of the outage at your home.