The National Weather Service in Springfield has issued a Winter Storm Watch beginning Tuesday evening, February 1st and continuing through Thursday, February 3rd. The storm is predicted to bring rain, snow, and wintry mix throughout the time period. As a result, power outages could occur.
HOEC reminds members to have an emergency kit prepared to help you and your family weather the storm if the power goes out. Some of the items this kit should include are bottled water, non-perishable food, flashlights, weather radio, extra batteries and extra blankets.
Additionally, ice can cause power lines to fall to the ground. Stay away from downed power lines and report them to the cooperative immediately.
You can report an outage or a downed power line by calling 417-256-2131 or 1-888-HOE-POWER. While we have a large number of phone lines available, during large outages it is likely that the calls coming in will be greater than the lines available. For this reason, we offer alternate ways to report your outage. Those include the SmartHub Mobile App on your iPhone or Android device, or SmartHub Web here on our website. If you haven't already done so, we encourage you to click the SmartHub icon at the top-right of this website and register now.
If you haven’t downloaded the SmartHub Mobile App yet, we've provided instructions and a short how-to video on our website.
While outage updates will be posted to the cooperative’s Facebook page, we ask all members to refrain from reporting an outage on Facebook and to use an official manner of reporting it to us instead.
"The only acceptable result during outages is the safe, timely and efficient restoration of power to all members," said Myles Smith, Manager of Member Services at HOEC. "It is always best to prepare for the worst and hope for the best. Make sure you are prepared at home with extra blankets, plenty of water and non-perishable foods in the case of a prolonged power outage," added Smith.
To understand how cooperatives work through repairs to restore your electricity after a storm, view the graphic below.
