Drive-up Food Distribution Today!

When: Sunday, July 2

Where: 1937 East Cook Street

There will be a drive-up food distribution at 11:00 a.m. on Sunday, July 2 at the Foodbank, 1937 East Cook Street. Please come to Edwards Street via Martin Luther King Drive and have your trunk clear.

Emergency Shelter, Meals and Clean-up

In response to the recent severe weather, the American Red Cross has opened an emergency shelter in Springfield. This shelter is available for anyone impacted by the storms.

Shelter Location

801 S 11th St - Springfield, IL

(Springfield NAACP office)

Meals, water and Red Cross volunteers are available.

Please bring medical supplies including prescriptions, personal hygiene items and other necessities for your family members.

Meal and Clean-up Kit Information

The American Red Cross and community partners will provide meals and clean-up kits to residents in Springfield and surrounding communities affected by this past week's severe weather.

WHAT: Lunches and water, along with clean-up kits (tarps, gloves, totes, etc.) will be available

WHEN: Sunday, July 2 at noon

WHERE: 2880 E Cook St, Springfield (Plumbers, Steamfitters & HVACR office)

CWLP Outage Map Updates Coming

Many residents have noticed when checking their outage status on our Outage Map their property isn't reading correctly as being confirmed in a recognized outage. We understand why this is frustrating for those without power to believe their electric trouble is not known. The reason why many outages aren’t appearing on the map is due partly to the size and scope of the outage.

Dispatch staff are having to update the map manually to reflect when large circuits are restored but the many 100s of pending tickets reflecting smaller outages are not entered and therefore not appearing.

Coordinating power restoration crews and the resources in the field has taken priority over updating the map. Still smaller outages matter and will be updated to the map as much as possible as work load and outages reduce and getting the lights on fast will take priority! Learn More on restoration process at our Outage Center, one click from CWLP.com to:

 https://cwlp.com/Departments/ElectricDeptHome/ElectricInformation/ElectricOutages.aspx

Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Team Providing Disaster Relief to Residents

The Illinois Baptist Disaster Relief Team is offering disaster relief services to residents of the city and surrounding areas. They will primarily help clear areas on private property to assist those in need. They will prioritize their work based on hazards, elderly, inability to move vehicles, etc.

The team will arrive in Chatham, Illinois at Chatham Baptist Church on Wednesday, July 5th, to start accessing the area. The saw teams will arrive on Thursday, July 6th, to begin work.

Anyone that has a need for their assistance should email IBDRdirector@gmail.com

and include their name, address, phone number and a brief description of help needed. 

More About Power Outage Response

After severe weather, CWLP takes specific steps to restore power. Utility supervisors assess damage and determine what crews, equipment and supplies will be needed to make repairs.



The first repair priorities beyond those immediately critical to public safety, are transmission lines, high-voltage lines that deliver electricity from power plants to substations. Although protected by wide rights of way, these lines can be damaged by trees. Without these lines, power cannot be delivered to customers.

Also vital to restoration efforts are distribution circuits. These 12.5 kilovolt (Kv) circuits deliver power to all business and residential customers. Transformers, which are devices that convert electric current to various voltages, then reduce the 12.5 Kv circuits to more usable voltages like 120-240, 208 and 480 volts at or near the customer’s location.

The wires that carry the customer’s load are called service lines. Typically after repairs are made on transmission lines and distribution circuits, CWLP crews are mobilized to get all service lines back in service. This strategy makes the best use of personnel and equipment.

Once transmission lines, substations and distribution circuits can again deliver power, CWLP assigns priority to lines that serve hospitals, police departments, emergency services and other facilities that are essential to public health and safety.  

Other restoration work is prioritized by repairs that affect the largest number of customers. For example, a repair serving 200 customers is done before a repair serving five customers. This is the quickest way to restore power to the most customers.

Resources To Help With Recovery From the Storm

As we work diligently to recover the city from the recent storm, we want to provide you with resources to assist in restoring our community:

• For debris blocking roadways and sidewalks, please call: 217-789-2246

• If you have not reported an outage already, please call: 217-789-2121

• If you or a family member’s health has been impacted by outages or the storm, please call American Red Cross at: 1-800-733-2767 (1-800-RED-CROS)



• Any senior community members requiring assistance should contact AgeLinc: (217) 787-9234 (Office) or (800) 252-2918 (Toll Free) or The Senior Services Center of Central Illinois: (217) 528-4035 or (217) 528-3882

Safe Use of Generators

During a power outage, you may find yourself in the dark and unable to use your appliances for a period of time. A generator can provide temporary electricity that, depending on type, can power a few appliances or an entire building. While convenient during an outage, generators used improperly can also create safety hazards.

Before investing in a generator, think first about your electrical needs and usage. Know the difference between standby and portable generators:

• Standby generators are wired directly into the home and can be sized to match the electrical demands of the home or building. A permanently installed standby generator must have an approved transfer safety switch to avoid feeding electricity back into the electrical system outdoors, creating what’s known as “backfeed.” Backfeed is dangerous for line workers as well as anyone who may be near downed power lines.

• Portable generators do not permanently attach to the home, and can power only the appliances that are plugged into the generator, so consider essential electrical needs when choosing. To avoid backfeed into the utility electrical system, the portable generator should never be plugged directly into the home.

Before using a portable generator, read all manufacturer instructions.

Place the generator in an open, well-ventilated area away from the home or garage. Using your generator in a space that does not have adequate ventilation increases the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning (CO) from fumes. As an extra precaution, install CO detectors around the home and test them regularly. CO is odorless and colorless and can be deadly. Symptoms of CO poisoning include dizziness, nausea, and headaches. If you suspect a problem, seek fresh air immediately.

Before turning the generator on, make sure nothing is plugged in. Keep children and pets a safe distance from generators. After starting it, only plug appliances or those connected to heavy-duty extension cords directly into the generator. Never plug the generator into a wall outlet to avoid the risk of backfeed.

Carbon monoxide fumes are both colorless and odorless and may reach fatal levels within minutes if not detected.

When turning off your generator, take the time to do so safely. Unplug all appliances before turning off the power of the generator. In order to keep your generator in working order, you’ll need to perform regular maintenance.

Staying Safe Until Power is Restored is Key

When a prolonged power outage occurs during hot weather, take steps to maintain safety and comfort until power is restored.

It’s important to stay clear of downed power lines at all times, even during cleanup efforts. Be alert to the possibility that tree limbs or debris may hide an electrical hazard.

Assume that any dangling wires you encounter are electrical and treat all downed or hanging lines as if they are energized and dangerous. If you are driving and come upon a downed power line, stay in your vehicle, warn others to stay away and contact emergency personnel or your electric utility. Also when driving, be careful at intersections where traffic lights may be out.

If power to your home is out for a prolonged period, know and understand important safety precautions and steps to cope with heat until power is restored:

• Dress in loose, lightweight clothing and stay on the coolest, lowest level of your home.

• Use natural ventilation to cool homes, and consider purchasing battery-powered fans.

• Drink plenty of water and avoid heavy meals, caffeinated drinks and alcohol.

• Keep refrigerator or freezer doors closed. A freezer that is half full or full can keep foods frozen 24 to 48 hours. Foods can stay safe in an unopened refrigerator up to four hours. If an outage lasts longer than four hours, remove and pack meat, milk and other dairy products in a cooler with ice.

• Use safe alternative food preparations. A barbecue grill is an excellent way to prepare food. Always grill outside.

• Check on friends and relatives—especially children, seniors, and those with medical conditions or disabilities. These people may need to seek emergency cooling shelters.

• Keep a first-aid kit in your home and one in your car. Make sure that it includes scissors, tweezers, safety pins, aspirin, eyewash and rubbing alcohol or hydrogen peroxide.

• Close all drapes and blinds on the sunny side of your residence.

• Take your family and pets to a basement or other cool location if you have one. Also consider going to an air-conditioned public place during warmer daytime hours.

We have a number of tips at our Outage Center on what to do during a power outage https://cwlp.com/.../ElectricInforma.../ElectricOutages.aspx

We also share information from the CDC on outage safety. https://www.cdc.gov/disasters/poweroutage/index.html

Information on Branches, Leaves and Debris

Keep Sewer Inlets Clear

Help alleviate flooding. The public can assist in keeping sewer inlets near your property clear. Inlets can easily get clogged with leaves and other debris and cause street flooding.

Trees & Branches

City cleanup crews and many volunteer groups are working as quickly and safely as possible to clear debris and pick up fallen branches. Please collect branches and limbs and place them on the curb. Please do not place branches on center boulevards, manholes, drains or sidewalks. City branch pick-up will likely take weeks as we assess the city-wide damage caused by the recent storm. We are working diligently to access neighborhood branches as soon as possible.

For debris blocking roadways and sidewalks, please understand Public Works crews are out and will address these as soon as possible. For new reports call Public Works: 217-789-2255 or 217-789-2246