SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WAND) - Businesses in Springfield are struggling to recover from the impacts of severe weather at the end of June. Those with power are dealing with damages to their facilities, while some still don't have power.

In a press conference held at 3pm on July 10, 2023, CWLP Chief Utility Engineer Doug Brown said less than 30 customers were still without power. Those customers largely include hotels and restaurants on Dirksen Parkway between South Grand and Adlai Stevenson Drive. Brown said this is the area where they saw the most severe damage.

Mike Monseur, who co owns Dew Chilli Parlor, said CWLP called him today to say his power would be on. However, the restoration time was pushed back because crews said they ran into some issues.

Monseur says many businesses in the area were just starting to recover from the loss of customers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Losing power in the middle of Springfield tourism season cuts the potential for revenue for many businesses.

"This is the first time I have physically stood in my parking lot since the storm hit because this was just covered with debris and giant poles that were down," said Monseur. "We're not sure when we will be able to open this, if we even are able to reopen it."   

While Monseur hasn't been able to enter the building yet, he says he is expecting 10 of thousands of dollars in damage. He said depending on the condition, they might not re-open the building.

"For this location, it's a bleak picture," said Monseur "After the COVID shutdowns we were just getting back on our feet and then this happened and it was kind of a one two pinch."

The outages are also impacting several hotels in the area. The Springfield Hotel and Lodging Association says five hotels still don't have power after 10 days.

"There were about 800 rooms that can't be filled," said Darin Dame, President of the Springfield Hotel and Lodging Association. "We predict we have lost about a million dollars in revenue in that time."

The Greater Springfield Chamber of Commerce says they are hoping to get some assistance for local businesses that lost revenue in the storms. Mayor Misty Buscher said keeping detailed records of any items that were disposed of and lost revenue will make it easier to apply for funding. She says she is working on getting emergency funding from the state.

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