Updated: Will power be restored in Kentucky on Wednesday? Here’s what KU says
Power restoration efforts in Fayette County along with all of Kentucky are expected to be mostly completed by Wednesday evening, according to Daniel Lowry with LG&E and KU.
The company previously said it expected to have power restored to everyone in Lexington and Louisville by 11 p.m. Wednesday. Lowry said there will likely be some customers without power Thursday morning but most everyone affected by Friday’s major windstorm should get power back by Wednesday evening.
Lowry added that if a resident doesn’t have power by Wednesday evening, it’s because the circuit they’re on was heavily damaged from the storm, which was determined to be the third largest weather event in LG&E and KU’s in the last 20 years, according to Lowry.
According to Lowry, 760 poles were broken from the storm. LG&E and KU also received reports of 3,400 wires down due to the storm.
According to poweroutage.us, 21,992 customers in Kentucky were still without power just before 11 a.m. Wednesday. At 2 p.m. Monday that number stood at approximately 110,000.
In Fayette County there are 6,143 customers without power just before 11 a.m., according to LG&E and KU’s power outage map. Crews have made significant progress on the outages in recent days, as more than 25,000 people in the county had been without power Monday.
In a Facebook post from Wednesday morning, LG&E and KU said more than 362,000 of the 388,000 customers who lost power from the storm have had their power restored.
LG&E and KU said an additional 1,600 units from surrounding states have come to Kentucky to help with power restoration efforts. Estimated power restoration times remain posted on LG&E and KU’s website, the electric company said.
Lowry said LG&E and KU have received reports from customers who claim their power went out shortly after having it restored. Lowry said that secondary outage is only temporary, as there have been instances where crews have to de-energize a line to fix or replace equipment.
Fayette County Public Schools open Wednesday
After having Monday and Tuesday off due to storm recovery efforts, Fayette County Public Schools will have class Wednesday, the school district announced Tuesday afternoon.
Power returned to Winburn Middle and Garden Springs and James Lane Allen elementary schools Tuesday evening.
Due to widespread building damage from a fire last week unrelated to the windstorm, Southern Middle School will operate on remote learning.
Any families experiencing issues that prevent their children from returning to school or participating in remote learning tomorrow should contact their children’s schools directly so that appropriate accommodations can be made.
City to open warming shelters
Mayor Linda Gorton said due to the anticipated drop in temperatures on Wednesday, the city will open two warming shelters: Dunbar Community Center at 545 N. Upper St. and the Tates Creek Ballroom at the Tates Creek Golf Course at 1400 Gainesway Drive.
The two warming centers will be open from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m. People are welcome to come to warm up, charge their devices and get some refreshments, Gorton said.
Kentucky Utilities has said the remaining customers without power should have power restored by Wednesday night, when temperatures are expected to drop below 30 degrees.
Gorton said the Red Cross does not open overnight shelters unless homes are destroyed or sustain damage.
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Reporter Beth Musgrave contributed to this report.
This story was originally published March 7, 2023 at 7:28 AM.
