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Limb drop-off areas established in Mt. Pleasant and New London after ice storm
Crews worked tirelessly to restore power and clear debris. Now residents are invited to take advantage of the drop-off locations for storm cleanup
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MT. PLEASANT — Following the ice storm that swept through southeastern Iowa last weekend, officials in Mt. Pleasant and New London have established limb drop-off areas to help residents dispose of fallen tree limbs and branches. The storm, which brought heavy ice and freezing rain to the region, caused widespread power outages.
The storm, which began early on Saturday, Dec. 14, left many without electricity for extended periods. According to the National Weather Service, some counties in southeast Iowa temporarily had 30% of customers without power due to ice accumulation on wires and branches.
Mt. Pleasant Municipal Utilities began to experience electrical outages early Saturday around 5:15 a.m. While MPMU restored power to their facility by 6:25 a.m. more reports came in as the ice storm continued that morning. By 1:18 p.m. MPMU reported “most customers have power,” though they were still working on several individual reports due to tree damage throughout their service area.
In New London, local utility workers also faced difficult conditions as they worked through the sleet and rain to restore power.
According to New London Utilities, crews began their efforts around 11:30 a.m. on Saturday and continued working until late into the night. Neighbors throughout New London went to the town’s Facebook group page to give each other updates on the power outages and offer up warm places to wait as the city worked to restore power.
By approximately 8:15 p.m. the City of New London reported everyone in the New London Municipal Utilities service area had their electricity back on with the exception of one repair on Pleasant Grove Road.
"As a small community, we are fortunate to have such a dedicated team of professionals ready to assist during storms and disasters," posted Jesse Howard, a New London resident, expressing gratitude for the utility workers' tireless efforts.
Both communities currently have power restored.
The storm’s impact was not just limited to power outages. Trees and branches weighed down by the ice caused significant damage, blocking roads and posing hazards to residents. While the power has since been fully restored in both towns, the effects of the storm are still being felt as residents and city crews finish cleaning up stray limbs broken from the weight of the ice and wind.
To address this, both Mt. Pleasant and New London made plans to get rid of these limbs.
Mt. Pleasant Public Works Department will collect tree limbs that fell during the storm. Those that can haul their own limbs can take them to the city compost site which will be open 8 a.m.-4 p.m. the rest of this week. Those who cannot haul to the compost site can place their tree debris on the curb for pick up Thursday, Dec. 19 and Friday, Dec. 20.
Those using curbside pickup to get rid of debris should ensure branches are no wider than eight inches in diameter and set them by the curb before 8 a.m.
New London has opened its limb dump site on Adams Street south of the school’s football field for tree debris from the storm. This site will remain open through Sunday, Dec. 22.
Comments: AnnaMarie.Kruse@southeastiowaunion.com
