Our hearts are heavy and with our communities across Kentucky as we work together to recover from yesterday’s severe storms.
While we’re still assessing this morning the damages we experienced to our system, we know in some cases we will need to rebuild equipment ravaged by the storm. Winds in excess of 80 miles per hour and at least one confirmed tornado resulted in more than 925 reports of wires down and at least 70 broken poles. We expect these results will increase as our assessments continue.
- 106,000 customers were affected by this storm. At the peak of the storm, more than 62,000 customers were without power across our service area, and as of 8 p.m., we have less than 18,000 customers without power. In less than 24 hours since the storm hit, we’ve restored nearly 71 percent of the customers who were without power at the peak of the storm.
- Our restoration personnel (including line techs, safety specialists, damage assessors and off-system resources) are safely working across our service area to protect the public, respond to emergency situations, assess and repair damaged equipment, and for affected customers, restore their service safely and as quickly as possible.
Downed Wire Safety, Additional Safety Notes
- Safety is our top priority and we urge the public to stay away from downed wires – and to always assume they could be energized and report them to us immediately.
- LG&E customers
502-589-1444 or 800-331-7370 (fast path 1-1-3) - KU/ODP customers
800-981-0600 (fast path 1-1-2)
- Driving conditions can be extremely hazardous in areas where damage occurred, so please give our crews – as well as other essential response personnel – plenty of room to safely navigate hazards, as weather, traffic and road conditions can impact our crews’ ability to timely access and maneuver equipment in and around problem areas.
Outage Tools, Estimated Restoration Times
Customers can report outages quickly and easily through our mobile app, by text or online. Visit lge-ku.com/outages for more information on all the ways you can report and receive information on your outage.
- As we assess damages safely and as quickly as possible, we will establish area-wide, or “global,” estimated restoration times when we expect to have power restored for the majority of customers in an area.
- Information on our outage map is based on direct feedback from our crews in the field, so a specific estimated restoration time won’t be displayed until the severity of damage that has caused an outage can be assessed, which includes the complexity
of repairs that will be needed to safely return service. - An important caveat is that each outage job is different and presents its own unique challenges for our crews, which is why estimated restoration times can vary by customer and are determined based on direct feedback from our crews in the field.
Restoration Process Overview
Service restorations take place through a prioritization process that involves several different layers. While we work to restore customers’ service, we’ll also use our ability to reroute power when we can from our control center, coupled with automated controls installed on our system, to limit the number of customers affected. During the restoration process:
- First, we’ll restore critical services in our community - hospitals, fire and police stations, airports and nursing homes.
- Next, we restore as many customers as we can as safely and quickly as possible.
- Then, we repair any damaged equipment. Whenever possible, temporary repairs are made to restore power quickly, and allow time for longer repairs to take place.
- For customers still without power, crews then make repairs to the individual power lines and service lines that feed directly to customers’ individual homes and businesses.
- Note: We have more than 40 crew centers across the state.
Additional Safety Tips
Ongoing System Maintenance and Infrastructure Investments
- As the risks of these more severe storms, wildfires and demand for energy continue to rise, LG&E and KU are working to mitigate the threats with stronger wires and poles; increasing vegetation management to further control this leading cause for power outages; and installing advanced technologies to identify and prevent outages. We have real-time system monitoring and automated technologies installed on our power lines and in substations. That technology, coupled with our advanced metering functionality being deployed across our service areas, allows us to pinpoint the location of a power outage quicker, reroute power where we can and limit the number of customers affected by the outage.
- Technology advancements, which include the ability to remotely make system adjustments from our control center when we anticipate extreme temperatures, and more real-time access to data and information has refined our preparedness process as well.
- While we continuously invest in our transmission and distribution systems, some equipment is reaching the end of its life, dating back to the 1920s, and poses a significant risk to system reliability. Currently, 55% of the wooden transmission poles are more than 60 years old and in need of replacement with steel structures that offer greater strength and durability against wind and ice; upgraded components, and, in some cases, additional lightning protection.
- Likewise, system hardening, real-time monitoring and automated technologies, coupled with advanced metering functionality, is greatly improving our distribution system. Since 2017, customers have collectively experienced 150,000 fewer power outages each year, preventing 27.7 million outage minutes in total. However, to maintain or improve this performance, the system not only needs additional stronger wires and poles, but upgrades to its aging substations, some of which are nearly 100 years old.
