Home » Beshear directs assistance to counties with power outages

Beshear directs assistance to counties with power outages

Weekend storms knocked out power for more than 60,000 at peak; power restoration under way

FRANKFORT, Ky. (July 2, 2012) – Gov. Steve Beshear directed the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet to issue a state of emergency and suspend registration requirements for out-of-state utility vehicles traveling through or arriving in Kentucky to restore power in areas affected by widespread outages over the weekend.

A series of storms since Friday knocked out electricity for more than 60,000 homes and businesses in Kentucky. Since last night’s round of thunderstorms, more than 43,000 Kentucky households remain without power. Outages have also disrupted water services in some areas, leaving some citizens with no water at all or boil water advisories.

“With this week’s soaring temperatures, this is a terrible time for anyone to be without electricity. That’s why we are acting quickly to provide any relief we can so supplies and services may be delivered to these areas without delay,” Beshear said. “I have also directed Kentucky Emergency Management and the Department of Local Government to work closely with local officials to assist with any needs we can.”

Transportation Cabinet Secretary Mike Hancock issued the emergency declaration today, which allows utility repair vehicles traveling from other states to bypass weigh stations and exempts them from standard hours of service restrictions. These emergency steps will allow utility vehicles traveling from surrounding states to restore power more quickly. The declaration also assists utility vehicles traveling through Kentucky en route to nearby states that also need power restoration.

The largest outages are in eastern Kentucky, primarily with Kentucky Power. That company reports about 41,000 customers remain without power as of 2 p.m. Monday, and power may not be restored to all customers until late this week. A county-by-county list of current outages is available at www.kentuckypower.com.

Kentucky Utilities (2,000 customers out) and Louisville Gas and Electric (500 customers out) expect to restore power to all affected homes by the end of the day.

The Kentucky Public Services Commission provides up-to-the-minute details of power outages by utility provider. Follow the updates on Twitter: @kypsc.

Some counties have opened emergency cooling centers, and Kentucky Emergency Management (KYEM) has posted a link to that information on its website. If you or someone you know needs assistance due to the excessive heat, contact your local emergency management director. Contact information is available on the KYEM website.