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Logan County Emergency Management Agency director Dan Fulscher urges
that people be aware of falling ice; it is slick and dangerous.
There is still a lot of it coating trees, and anyone trimming trees
needs to recognize that ice also adds weight. Fulscher said that
the focus of the agency now is to clean up, and second, to assist
with restoring power. What's important now is making sure people can
get into and out of their homes, he said. He was in the field
assessing the Mount Pulaski area this morning.
Because of the wintry conditions it will be more difficult to
reach some of the areas that have tree damage, he said. It may be
spring before some of the cleanup can be completed, he said.
Mount Pulaski to the north has power again, but it is still out
to the south. The Latham area was once again hit hard. That area
suffered the most damage in last spring's storms and tornadoes,
Fulscher said.
He said that it may be some time before power is restored to the
remaining areas. There is a lot of tree damage.
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 It is estimated that it is now down to about 3,000 structures
without power. At the peak there was an estimated high of 5,000
without power in Logan County. Other areas of Illinois had higher
outage numbers. Next door, Macon County still has about 50,000 out.
Power companies have called in assistance from other states.
Michigan trucks can be seen working in southern Logan County,
Fulscher said.
Places to keep warm
Abraham Lincoln Hospital had 14 storm victims on Friday night,
nine on Saturday, and no one stayed on Sunday. People wanting to get
in from the cold can still go there.
To assist people without power, the Beason, Mount Pulaski,
Chestnut and Latham firehouses are open to those wanting to get in
out of the cold.
A state-designated warming site in Logan County is at 1550 Fourth
St. in Lincoln. This is the Logan County Department of Public Aid
building. Director Tony Cameron said that the building is open 8:30
a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday if anyone wants to come in.
They have restrooms and a water fountain available for public use.
[Jan
Youngquist]
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