Thousands without power after ice storm batters Mississippi. When will it be restored?
A dangerous winter storm with snow, ice, freezing rain and frigid temperatures put much of Mississippi in a deep freeze, leaving more than 35,000 residents still in the dark on Tuesday.
Some utility customers might have to wait until late Tuesday night to get their power restored, according to officials.
Mississippi Power, one of the state’s largest electric utility providers, said its fleet of 1,000 linemen and engineers were on the roads early Tuesday morning to get power restored to those impacted by the storm.
“Our crews, along with additional resources, will continue to work safely until every customer’s power is restored,” the company posted on Twitter early Tuesday, along with estimated restoration times for several cities.
By Tuesday evening, the utility said lights are already back in all cities except
the Meridian area, which should have 95% of customers with their lights back on by midnight.
Earlier Tuesday morning, Mississippi Power outage map showed nearly 275 power outages, with more than 3,000 customers without power across southeastern Mississippi.
Coast Electric Power Association, which also services several Gulf Coast communities, reported more than a dozen customers were affected with outages in Hancock, Harrison and Pearl River counties.
Singing River Electric Cooperative had crews dispatched near Gautier and Ocean Springs just after 10:30 a.m. Tuesday. No estimated restoration times were listed.
As the winter weather rolls through, residents are encouraged to conserve energy by avoiding the use of large appliances, opening window blinds during the day, bundling up and turning the thermostat down.
This story was originally published February 16, 2021 at 11:09 AM.