HMP&L estimates that in 24-36 hours, most customers will have power; Kenergy doesn’t yet have an estimate; States of emergency declared for both county and city
Henderson Municipal Power & Light General Manager Brad Bickett said at noon Monday that much progress in restoring power to about 3,000 customers will occur throughout the day, but it will be at least 24 to 36 hours before it can be restored to most of the utility’s customers.
Some bigger issues will cause some to be without power longer, he said. He didn’t have a firm estimation when all the customers will regain power.
Bickett said crews worked through the night and faced “very challenging conditions” as limbs were falling around them as they worked.
Conditions are better today and there’s some momentum, he said.
Crews will work 24 hours a day until the power is restored, he said. They can work at most 16 hours at a time before going home for rest, he said.
Additionally, linemen crews from several municipalities in Indiana which are a part of the Indiana Municipal Energy Association, have been called in for assistance, Bickett said.
To report an outage, HMP&L customers call 270-631-0660. Outage Center – HENDERSON MUNICIPAL POWER & LIGHT
***
According to Kenergy’s Web Outage Viewer, at about noon Monday there were 4,400 Kenergy customers in Henderson County who have power outages.
Across Kenergy’s western Kentucky service area, about 8,800 customers were without power as of 12:40 p.m., said Leslie Barr, the public relations and communications specialist for the utility.
She said Kenergy does not have an estimated time when all power will be restored. She termed the situation as a “prolonged outage.”
She said Henderson County is the hardest hit of any of Kenergy’s service area with 53% of the utility’s outages occurring here.
Crews have been working around the clock, Barr said, noting that there are not a lot of broken poles which take longer to fix. Most outages have occurred from downed power lines and trees and limbs falling on lines, she said.
She reminded people who come near a downed power line to assume it is energized and dangerous and to get away.
Mutual aid has not yet been requested, Barr said. If mutual aid is requested, it will come from the Kentucky Electric Cooperatives, of which Kenergy is a member, Barr said.
To report outages, Kenergy customers call 800-844-4832. During an Outage – Kenergy Corp
***
According to a Kentucky Utilities interactive map, there were about 750 Henderson County customers without power at about 1 p.m. Monday.
***
Both Henderson County Judge-Executive Brad Schneider and Henderson Mayor Brad Staton declared states of emergency Monday morning.
Schneider described the declaration as a technical step that would more easily allow the county government to get what is needed, spend money more easily if need and allow it to be eligible for Federal Emergency Management Agency funding down the road, if needed.
He said the amount of damage incurred will possibly take weeks to determine.
County road crews were brought in for the night yesterday because leadership determined that their work conditions were unsafe, Schneider said. He said crews were trying to cut down trees and limbs while tree limbs were falling around them, made even more dangerous during darkness.
“As soon as day broke this morning, our crews were out,” Schneider said.
To linemen, road crews and sheriff’s deputies, “I tip my hat to them,” the judge said.
Sheriff’s deputies reported many accidents, slide-offs and fender benders throughout Sunday and through the night, he said.
Declaring a state of emergency assists in the efficiency of obtaining funding and resources from the state.
***
Henderson Police Department Officer Jason Cullum said early Monday afternoon that major throughfares in the city–U.S. 41, Green Street and U.S. 60–are clear and drivable.
Some side roads still have not been cleared, but can be driven if taken slowly and carefully, Cullum said.
He also said to be aware that “some limbs are still falling.”
Finally, Cullum said power outages are affecting some traffic lights. If a motorist comes up to a signal that is not working, the driver should treat it as a stop sign and follow rules regarding four-way or three-way stop signs, depending on the nature of the intersection.