Utility crews preparing for potential power outages

Utility crews preparing as ABC 36 Storm Team tracks severe weather

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC 36 NEWS NOW) — This weekend’s ABC 36 Storm Team Weather Impact Day could bring strong winds and severe storms, potentially affecting power for some residents.

Utility crews are getting ready to respond if outages occur. Jake Green, Vice President of Davis H. Elliot Construction Company, says they are taking the forecast seriously.

“We’re all closely monitoring, and so most of our crews right now are getting some rest just in case because they are very long days, but this is something that we’re very accustom to responding too,” said Green.

Green urges the public to prioritize safety, especially around downed power lines and fallen trees.

“If you see downed power lines just stay away. The best thing to do is call your utility or just be patient,” he said, “just avoid, if you see trees that are split cracked just stay away because it’s very unpredictable as to what those could do,” said Green.

Experts say areas with a high number of trees may be more prone to outages. As the weekend approaches, experts emphasizes the need for patience.

“The priority is to get as much people up as possible, but again there’s a lot of factors about how challenging it may be to get to spaces. You just never know because what you may be seeing at your home may not be where the root cause of the problem is, and it could be easy to fix, it could be hard to fix so it’s just hard to tell,” said Green.

Green adds that power line routing also plays a role in why some homes may lose power while others nearby do not.