Severe storm knocked out power in Du Quoin, residents continue recovery efforts

DU QUOIN, Ill. (KBSI) — A powerful storm went through Du Quoin, Illinois, on Friday night, leaving much of the town without power for over 24 hours. The storm damaged Ameren’s 69,000-volt transmission line on the north side of town, which feeds the local substation, causing widespread outages.

Virginia Todaro, a Du Quoin resident, described the moments leading up to the storm.

“I knew it was going to be bad,” she said. “The wind started blowing early in the afternoon. I was going out to grab some flowers and put them back in the pots and move my chairs away.”

As the storm intensified, Todaro took shelter in her basement.

“I was watching the news and saw Du Quoin was right in the middle of it. I got kind of scared. But I just prayed and asked God to protect us,” she said. “Down in the basement, I couldn’t hear anything. I didn’t know what was going on. When I came upstairs and looked out the window, I couldn’t see anything. It was so dark.”

Crews from McIntire Electric worked through the night to restore power. Nigel Sewell, a worker with the company, explained the process.

“For the most part, it was a long process. It all depended on how badly a property was hit,” Sewell said. “Ameren replaced a lot of poles due to the tornado. But once the poles were set and they got power back on, we replaced services for customers who needed it.”

To get through the outage, Todaro relied on other forms of light.

“I had some kerosene lights burning. I had some battery-operated lights. I made it fine, just hoping everybody else did,” she said.

Sewell says that the priority was getting power restored as quickly as possible.

“The whole point is to get customers’ power back. It’s not about money. It’s about getting people’s electricity running again,” he said.

For those still struggling in the aftermath, the American Red Cross is stepping in to help. A Multi-Agency Resource Center will be open at the American Legion Post 647 on Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. Caseworkers will be on hand to assist residents with paperwork and create recovery plans.

Todaro expressed thankfulness for the workers who restored power just in time for Sunday services.

“I’m very thankful,” she said. “I thought we probably wouldn’t be able to have church Sunday, but the power came on in time, and we had church.”