Trees weighed down by Sunday’s heavy, wet snow came tumbling down onto power lines, leaving at least 23,000 people across Eastern Kentucky without electricity. This stretch of road along Dewey Lake posed additional risk, as a tree fell onto a line crossing the road.
The only substantial snowfall of the season might have been pretty to see and fun for the kids, but it was causing headaches for many Eastern Kentuckians.
Snow-laden trees in many collapsed, bringing power lines down with them and leaving thousands across Eastern Kentucky without power.
At the peak of the problems, Kentucky Power reported 34,000 homes without power across its service area, from Ashland to Hazard. Over half of those outages were in Breathitt, Clay, Leslie, Perry and Owsley counties, where 18,004 lost power, and Kentucky Power said it would take until 6 p.m. Friday before all of the outages could be fixed. Closer to home, another 10,136 homes were without electricity in Floyd, Pike, Martin and a portion of Knott counties. Those outages were estimated to be fixed by midnight Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the situation improved dramatically. Floyd, Pike, Martin and a portion of Knott counties had fallen to 3,692 by noon Tuesday, while the number of homes still affected in Breathitt, Clay, Leslie, Perry and Owsley counties had fallen to 9,936.
In a statement, Kentucky Power said workers began repairing the damage immediately, and additional work crews were brought in to assist. A total of 740 workers are currently engaged in restoration efforts.
Kentucky Power advised that residents not approach a downed power line, no matter how harmless it might appear. Customers can report downed lines by calling Kentucky Power at (800) 572-1113 or by contacting local emergency officials.
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