LAUREL COUNTY, Ky. —
Fierce thunderstorms with wind damage that only lasted about 45 minutes left hundreds without electrical power in Laurel County by 4:30 p.m. Thursday.
Jackson energy reported 2,500 Laurel County customers and Kentucky Utilities reported 1,300 customers were without power.
As of Friday morning all but 1,400 Jackson Energy customers had power and less than five KU customers were without power.
Jackson Energy crews will be working through Friday repairing damage left behind by severe thunderstorms that hit the area Thursday, according to Karen Combs, Director of Public Relations.
“Laurel County was particularly hard hit by the storms,” Combs said. “After the line of storms moved through the area, we had 5,000 outages reported in our service area, and 2,500 of those were in Laurel County.” In addition to downed power lines, crews also found five broken poles in Laurel County — two on Arthur Ridge Road, one on Slate Lick Church Road, one on Ky. 1376 and one on Ky. 1227.
Jackson Energy crews and 28 additional contractors have been working since Thursday afternoon making repairs, but much of the damage to the electric system involves downed power lines and tree limbs on lines, which is difficult to repair. “We also want to remind everyone to stay away from downed power lines,” Combs said, “and to report outages and damaged lines to the power company.”
Cliff Feltham, KU statewide media relations manager, said lightening strikes hit two substations causing 1,205 customers to lose power, mostly in the downtown area.
The London Tobacco Market off Fourth Street, had one of its roofs blown off and also the plastic cover on one of its greenhouses.
Trees were down on Ky. 229, south U.S. 25, Ky. 578, Crooked Creek Golf Community, Hawk Creek Road, Ky. 490 and many other areas of the county.
cmills@sentinel-echo.com
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Trevor Helton and A.J. Smith remove trees from a road in the Crooked Creek Golf Community after thunderstorms hit Laurel County at 3:30 p.m. Thursday. Photo by Carol Mills
July 10, 2012
High winds cause destruction
Trees down, roof blown off London Tobacco Market after Thursday’s storms
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