State of Emergency in Kentucky: 75,000 Remain Without Power

by Geneva B | February 2, 2009 at 04:43 pm

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The weather emergency in Kentucky continues to cause serious problems for residents. As of 4:30 p.m. EST, 75,000 remain without power throughout the state according to E.ON U.S. It could take up to ten days to restore service for everyone. Numerous injuries are being reported and there have been anywhere from several to sixteen deaths.

High temperatures in Louisville, the biggest city in Kentucky, would fall from near normal levels in the low 40s F to well below normal levels in the 20s and 30s Tuesday and Wednesday, according to forecasts by AccuWeather.com.

National Guard troops continued to go door-to-door Monday morning, checking on families in the areas worst hit by what Gov. Steve Beshear called "the biggest natural disaster that this state has ever experienced in modern history."
Emergency personnel said up to 6,500 residents had to leave their homes for other shelter across the state as conditions deteriorated.

The storm has been blamed for at least 16 deaths in a crisis authorities expect could leave people without power for "a couple more weeks," he added.
Rogers said many of the deaths resulted from carbon monoxide poisoning after residents pulled power generators inside their homes to keep warm.

Power companies in Kentucky are advising people to proceed carefully once their power is restored to avoid further problems.

What happens shortly after the electricity is restored is circuit breakers automatically trip to protect the system from overload, and the power goes off again.
They're asking customers to help by turning off the breaker switch to their furnaces in their homes if their power is out. All other breaker switches can be left on. When the electricity is restored, customers should leave the furnace off for about 30 minutes so the system can ‘settle out’ after restoration, then turn on the furnace and gently bring the temperature of the building up to a comfortable level.What happens shortly after the electricity is restored is circuit breakers automatically trip to protect the system from overload, and the power goes off again.