Springfield area recovering from Tuesday storms

The Springfield area is in recovery mode today after major storms disrupted businesses and residences on Tuesday.

The latest update from City Utilities of Springfield, issued at 11:20 a.m., indicates the municipal utility provider was seeking to restore power to roughly 23,000 electric customers after working overnight. That compares with around 28,100 as of 4:30 a.m. and the peak yesterday of nearly 50,000 without power.

"More than 140 lineworkers, which include City Utilities personnel, mutual aid crews, contractors, and tree trimming crews, are continuing to work around the clock to restore power," CU officials said in a Facebook post this morning. "Due to widespread damage, outages may last multiple days."

CU additionally warned customers to avoid downed power lights amid cleanup efforts.

Camp Barnabas and Dickerson Park Zoo were among those impacted by the storms yesterday.

At Camp Barnabas, which is located southwest of Springfield in Purdy, a tornado hit multiple camper cabins and uprooted dozens of trees, according to a news release.

“We’re committed to opening our gates this summer for individuals with disabilities who count on this camp,” said Bernadette Losh, CEO of the Barnabas Foundation, which operates Camp Barnabas, in the release. “But we can’t do it alone. We need the community’s help to clear the debris, repair the cabins and get Camp Barnabas ready."

Downed trees at Dickerson Park Zoo in Springfield mean a second day of closure today, according to the organization's Facebook page.

"Parts of the zoo remain without power. We hope to be open by Friday," zoo officials said.

Springfield Public Schools also canceled classes today. The announcement made last night indicated that "nearly half of all schools are currently without power."