Power Outages Continue in Kentucky

Monday evening, January 26, 2009, brought the worst ice and snow storm in recent memory to the mid-west. Kentucky has been extremely hard-hit, and over a week after the storm there are still a reported 217,000 customers without electrical power.

The Kentucky Public Service Commission released information that they still had 142,500 customer outages on Wednesday morning (Feb. 4, 2009). Other smaller utility companies serve some of the remaining thousands of customers who have no power. Kentucky officials reported late Tuesday that there were over 60,000 TVA customers without power, and close to 14,000 customers on various municipal lines who were out. Electrical crews have come from all over the country to help repair lines and restore power. Some residents have been told that their power may not be restored for 6 weeks.

There have been 27 deaths reported so far due to the storm.

Shelters have been set up in many churches, schools, and community buildings in small towns across the area. Water supplies in many towns are no longer deemed potable. Pumping stations and treatment plants are also affected by the power shortages. Other concerns are for fuel to run generators and heaters. People with livestock to care for are facing additional problems.

The Kentucky National Guard is working with officials to provide aid throughout the commonwealth, and Red Cross volunteers have been working tirelessly to stock shelters and provide warm places for those who can no longer remain in their homes. Many residents had problems leaving their homes because filling stations could not pump gas to fill their vehicles; others could not get through closed roads. Besides ice and snow on roads, many were closed due to downed trees from the heavy ice accumulation. Nancy Ward, the acting FEMA Director, toured a small portion of a distressed area on Wednesday, and met with officials in Frankfort Wednesday afternoon.

Since the storm, much of the region has seen single digit temperatures at night. Temperatures have not risen above freezing during the days in many areas. The weekend forecast calls for warmer temperatures and rain across the region.