LEXINGTON, Ky.—In the wake of catastrophic flooding that has taken dozens of lives and left a trail of devastation throughout Eastern Kentucky, Louisville Gas and Electric Co. and Kentucky Utilities Co. announced Thursday a contribution of $50,000 to the Team Eastern Kentucky Flood Relief Fund set up by Gov. Andy Beshear.
“We know families in communities touched by this disaster are suffering — there is and will continue to be much work to do to help them recover and heal,” said LG&E and KU President John Crockett. “It’s our hope these funds will address some of the immediate, basic needs and help get them on the road to recovery.”
In addition to financial flood relief support, LG&E and KU released more than three dozen contract line technicians to assist Kentucky Power in restoration efforts as they work to make repairs and reenergize energy service to customers.
The assistance is part of LG&E and KU’s participation in four different mutual assistance groups in which utilities across multiple regions and 20 states offer each other resources and support following natural disasters and other emergencies.
Before sending crews, LG&E and KU always ensure there are ample resources on hand for everything from routine maintenance to emergency situations. The company takes many factors into consideration, including the weather heading toward the utilities’ service territories, when allocating resources.
LG&E and KU are the commonwealth’s largest utilities, serving more than 1.3 million customers across more than 90 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. While Clay and Harlan counties in Kentucky – where KU provides electricity to about 14,500 customers; and portions of southwest Virginia, where KU operates as Old Dominion Power and serves 24,000 customers – are among flooded areas, impacts to the utility’s service and infrastructure in these areas has been minimal.
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