See a downed power line? Leave it alone, Kentucky Utilities says. How to report it
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Lexington prepares for winter storm
Approximately 0.25-0.5 inches of ice is expected to blanket Lexington as well as parts of western and northern Kentucky.
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The forecast for Thursday’s winter storm is calling for freezing rain, creating the potential for downed power lines and tree damage.
In such an event, Kentucky Utilities has created a plan and prepared for the scenario of assisting with downed power lines.
A spokesperson for LG&E-KU told the Herald-Leader Wednesday that the company has a public safety response team on standby and also has around 600 technicians ready to assist in case of emergencies.
“With more than 40 crew centers across the state, we are able to strategically place our resources where they might need to be,” KU spokesperson Natasha Collins said. “As we kind of figure out more about this forecast, more about what we’re expecting, we are able to stage our crews or put them in places where we know we expect to see some of the impact from the storm.”
While waiting for the storm to arrive, LG&E-KU is closely watching the forecast for any changes and keeping in close contact with partners, Collins said. The plan of how to combat downed power lines or other emergencies is already in place, it’s just a matter of how and where to implement it.
Customers and residents should have a plan of their own in case of an emergency, she said. The best thing for people to do if they see a downed power line is to avoid it and let the professionals take care of the wires.
“We always advise that you treat those as an energized power line. Stay away from them and do notify our utilities if they do see a line down,” Collins said.
Residents can notify LG&E-KU of a downed power line through the company’s mobile app or website. The app provides information about power outages and how to stay safe through a winter storm.
You can also report a down power line to 502-589-1444 for LG&E customers and 1-800-981-0600 for KU customers.
Here is a link to LG&E-KU’s power outage map.
Some other helpful tips are sealing up leaks and gaps around your home with caulk to allow your furnace to operate efficiently and preparing an emergency kit in case of a power outage. Some helpful items to include in an emergency kit can be found on ready.gov.
More tips can be found on LG&E-KU’s website.
“Safety is our top priority always, whether we’re in a blue sky day or whether we’re facing a forecast like what we know we have in this scenario,” Collins said. “Our top priority is making sure that not just our employees are safe, but our customers and the general public as well.”
This story was originally published February 3, 2022 at 7:17 AM.
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