Power outage concerns continue

CEDAR COUNTY, Mo.  —  Although the first winter storm of 2025 has passed over the Ozarks, there are still power outage concerns.

Ice continues to cover trees and power lines days after the storm.

Sac Osage Electric Cooperative General Manager Aaron Ash says problems can pop up when that ice eventually melts off the power lines.

“The ice coming off the lines can make the lines bounce on there and that can cause outages,” Ash said.

In the days after the storm, pop-up power outages have occurred.

“Obviously just a lot of ice on the line and a lot of trees that just get weighted down,” said lineman Garrett Mays.

1,500 members of Sac Osage Electric lost power at some point during the winter storm.

“It didn't hit us all at once,” Ash said. “We'd have 100 out. We'd get it down to 40 and then have another line go out. And so it was back and forth all day long yesterday.”

Mays says he was called in to help fix lines at 10 p.m. Saturday and continued working until 6 p.m. Sunday evening.

“We're trying as best we can,” Mays said. “We're trying to get you back on, so have a little bit of patience with us and we'll make sure you’re taken care of.”