News

12/29/2009

Loose limbs, high winds create power outages

HENDERSON COUNTY, Ky. -- Treetops littered with loose limbs -- remnants of Hurricane Ike and the January ice storm – coupled with high winds on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to create a rash of small power outages for Kenergy Corp. members.

In Henderson County, about 1,500 members lost power during the Christmas holiday.  The Ellis Park area was hit with an outage late on Christmas Eve.  Then, an area stretching between Baskett and Spottsville suffered from two outages on Christmas morning.  Around 1 p.m. on Christmas Day, about 800 members in Niagra were without power.

The culprit?  High winds knocked loose limbs from trees.  As those limbs made their way to the ground, they fell into power lines. 

Kenergy continues to be diligent with the removal of limbs and trees in the co-op's rights-of-way that have the potential to cause power outages. 

Since the February 2008 ice storm, special effort has been made to remove broken limbs that can jeopardize the primary power lines.  Unfortunately, often the limbs that are blown into power lines causing outages come from trees located far off the right-of-way.  High winds can blow them into the power lines without warning.

Especially during the next few months, Kenergy members should be prepared for isolated outages when winds start to howl.  Many trees suffered damage when Hurricane Ike roared through the region in September 2008.  Trees took another hit during the January 2009 ice storm.  Both catastrophic events left many loose limbs hanging in the tops of trees.  High winds will bring down those limbs and can cause power outages.

In November, the Kentucky Public Service Commission (PSC) released a report about Ike and the ice storm.  In that report, the PSC recommended that all Kentuckians practice better preparedness.  Residents should have battery- or solar-powered flashlights.  Homeowners need to keep on hand water, nonperishable food, extra medicine and cash.  People who need daily medication should keep on hand a seven-day supply.  And anyone who relies on a medical device that requires electricity should own a generator or make arrangements ahead of time for an alternative place to stay.

Kenergy recently started a preparedness program titled “The First 72 Is on You.”  The co-op reminds all its members to be prepared to spend up to 72 hours without essential services, such as electricity. 

For more information on preparedness, contact the American Red Cross at www.redcross.org.

Sidebar:

When residents see a downed power line, they should stay away from it.  All downed power lines should be treated as if they are active. 

Residents should call 911 as soon as they see a downed power line.

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