A lot of work has been done to restore electrical service to rural areas across Jerauld County, but there is a lot of work yet to be done, according to Central Electric Cooperative spokesman Ken Schlimgen.

“Currently the biggest problem (in the Wessington Springs area) is west from Springs, to Gann Valley and then south to Chamberlain,” Schlimgen said. “The most pole losses in that area will be in the southwestern part of Jerauld County,” he continued. Schlimgen was reluctant to predict how long it will be before Central Electric consumers in the hard-hit area will be back on. “I’m afraid to give any kind of deadline, with the weather the way it is we don’t know yet,” he said.

More men and equipment arrived on Monday to help with the daunting task. Central Electric has 43 employees working on the outages. Fifty-one more men and their equipment arrived from different cooperatives, city workers and construction crews to swell the workforce to 84.

Schlimgen estimated that there are around 400 poles lost in the entire Central Electric area.

A major ice storm struck much of eastern South Dakota last weekend, causing damage to rural power lines and poles and creating electrical outages throughout this area. It was estimated that more than 300 electrical poles were broken in the Jerauld County area. Farms with electrical power were easier to count than those without service.

Winds gusting up to 55 miles per hour pushed snow around to make near zero visibility which is difficult for crews to maneuver in. Significant amounts of ice continue to cling to lines in portions of the state, with ice six inches in diameter being reported in the north west, according to Schlimgin.

Around Wessington Springs the storm began as rain on Friday morning. As the temperature dropped to below freezing the frost-coated power lines began to droop. The ensuing ice coating in excess of 4-6 inches brought down poles and lines.

Despite overnight setbacks which were somewhat anticipated given weather predictions, South Dakota’s electric cooperatives made progress in power restoration Sunday.

As crews went to bed Saturday night, an estimated 6,700 South Dakotans were without power.

See more on this subject in your copy of the True Dakotan ($37.10 in SD – $45.00 out of SD)