Ameren Illinois continues to bring in many extra workers to continue working on fixing power lines and restore power after a storm rolled through in central Illinois on Thursday.  The storm is being called a derecho by the National Weather Service and has caused problems for a massive area of more than 240 miles throughout the state. Brian Bretsch, spokesperson for Ameren, says they have been bringing in all kinds of reinforcements.

While Bretsch says there’s no timeframe on restoration of power.  Some areas are still being assessed and the hope is that there will be a lot of answers today.

Bretsch encourages everyone to keep their fridge and freezer closed at all costs, but if you do lose some food, you can file a claim through Ameren.

Bretsch says he is asking for patience but understands the frustration of many of the Ameren customers. They have been bringing in many extra hands to help.

Ameren says there are still over 250 power lines that are down.  For more information, visit their outage map on the Ameren Illinois website.