Ice storm prep underway, Kentucky electric co-ops share tips for residents

Kentucky’s electric co-ops urge members to prepare

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) – Electric cooperatives across Kentucky are preparing for a major storm system forecast for Kentucky beginning Wednesday into early Friday morning, including the possibility of flooding, freezing rain, sleet and snow.

Kentucky Electric Cooperatives (KEC) says the biggest concern is freezing rain because ice can weigh down power lines leading to outages. As little as a quarter-inch of ice typically causes some outages. A half-inch of ice could lead to outages lasting several days, depending on the terrain and the proximity of trees to utility poles and electric lines. That’s something Lexington saw in 2003, the city’s worst ice storm, where more than 90,000 people lost power, some for more than a week.

“If you see a downed power line, absolutely assume it is live, it is energized, it is dangerous. Call 911, call utility. Don’t go anywhere near it,” said spokesperson Joe Arnold.

Arnold says he hopes people prepare in advance.

“Have an emergency preparedness kit. It doesn’t have to be anything too fancy, but we’re talking about a couple of days worth of bottled water, non-perishable food, emergency blankets, first aid, flashlights, battery-operated radio, batteries, toiletries. Make sure you’re charging your phones on a constant basis right now until that ice comes in,” said Arnold.

KEC has been monitoring the system for several days. Electric crews have been busy fueling up their vehicles and reaching out for help from other utilities.

“Mutual aid will likely become a factor here, especially if ice comes around. So we’re checking each other’s availability, and what crews might be available, what equipment is available,” said Arnold.

According to Arnold, many cooperatives have phone apps, which he says are the best way to alert crews about power outages.

Though co-ops practice a culture of safety and perpetual preparedness, crews and support staff are gearing up for outage restoration, according to KEC. Each co-op has an Emergency Preparedness Plan and is in constant contact with emergency officials, fellow co-ops in surrounding states and each other to strategize and respond to the winter storms.

“So we’re checking each other’s availability, checking to see what crews might be available, what equipment is available that way when the storm does pass we can be able to respond to those just as quickly as possible,” said Joe Arnold, with Kentucky Electric Cooperatives.

Electric cooperatives are stressing safety and encouraging people to prepare for power outages and avoid any downed lines.

“Ice and tree limbs falling on power lines can cause lines to snap off the poles or the poles to break,” said Chris Perry, president and CEO of Kentucky Electric Cooperatives. “That can bring power lines into contact with the ground, trees, homes, vehicles and other objects. If people or pets come in contact with a live power line, they can suffer serious injury or even death.”

When an ice storm struck Kentucky one year ago, KEC reported the primary cause of power outages in some areas of the state were drivers losing control on black ice and striking utility poles.

Due to dangerous conditions, many residents may be confined to their homes for days at a time. To prepare for prolonged outages, co-ops advise consumer-members to charge mobile phones and power banks and pack a storm preparedness kit stocked with:

Bottled water
Non-perishable food
Emergency blankets
First aid kit/medicine
Flashlight
Battery operated or hand-crank radio
Extra batteries
Toiletries

While indoors, many will turn their focus to staying warm. If homes are not using a generator, keep warm air in and cool air out by not opening doors to unused rooms. Do not open doors to the outdoors unless necessary.

Food safety is also important when there is a prolonged outage. Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible, and eat perishable food first. Stock up on ice so that you can keep things in coolers to keep them from going bad if an outage lasts longer than a day. Once the refrigerator reaches temperatures higher than 40 degrees Fahrenheit, foods can become unsafe to eat.

To protect homes’ electrical equipment during an outage, KEC says to turn off and unplug all unnecessary electronics or appliances to keep equipment from being damaged by surges or spikes when the power returns.

Once an outage is over, there are still safety precautions to take. Electrical power lines could still be down. If you see downed power lines, do not touch them. Call your local co-op or 911.

You can view the electric cooperatives outage map HERE.

Kentucky’s electric cooperatives serve more than 1.5 million people, about 35% of the state’s population, in 117 of Kentucky’s 120 counties.