Only small percentage used shelters

SIKESTON -- Only a fraction of those left without power in the wake of last week's ice storm sought help at warming shelters.

"Right now we still know that we have approximately 54,000 customers without power in southeast Missouri," said Susie Stoner, public information officer for the State Emergency Management Agency. "The power companies have told us we had 6,000 poles that snapped. They are replacing the poles so the restoration of the power may take some time."

Statewide there were 42 shelters opened as of Sunday, Stoner said, with 1,462 people in those shelters. Two of those shelters are in Scott County with a total of 540 people while in New Madrid County there are 12 shelters with a total of only 116 people in them.

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