Ameren Missouri will not cut off electric service for customers who are behind on their bills and live in an area hit by the May 16 tornado in St. Louis.
The electric utility announced the changes on Tuesday. It said it would pause disconnections for nonpayment for 60 days, through July, in areas that were heavily impacted by the tornado.
Ameren is making other changes in the wake of the storm, including waiving up-front deposits to start service, increasing funds available for customers to restart service and increasing other aid programs. The company is also donating $25,000 to Heat Up/Cool Down St. Louis to assist with energy bills.
Ameren disconnected more than 11,700 customers in April, according to data obtained by the Energy and Policy Institute. The institute found almost 200,000 customers were behind on their bills last month by an average of about $160.
