Energy companies are working hard to return power to customers around Kentuckiana after Mother Nature spread 1/4 of ice over the area Thursday morning.
Duke Energy estimates returning power to customers around Southern Indiana by Sunday evening at 6p.
The energy company has restored power to over 20,000 people in the past 24 hours, with about 19,000 still without power, including 1,457 in Washington County.
“The estimated time of restoration for these customers is Sunday, Nov 18 at 6 PM,” said Bruce Calloway, Duke Energy Community Relations Manager. “While many customers will have power restored before then, that is when we expect all customers impacted by the storm to be back in service. We multiple cases of power lines down with much of the damage being the result of trees.”
Calloway said the damage is widespread throughout the area.
Jackson County REMC had over 3,000 without power Thursday and that number is down to only 122 as of Friday morning.
At one point on Thursday, more than 40,000 people were without power.
Calloway said Duke asks the public to follow these guidelines regarding safety around power lines.
- Stay away from downed or sagging power lines, and do not touch anything that is on or near a power line (i.e., trees or tree limbs, cars, ladders).
- Keep children and family pets away from areas where lines may have fallen (backyards, fields, school yards, etc.).
- If a power line falls across a car that you’re in, stay in the car. If you MUST get out of the car due to a fire or other immediate life-threatening situation, do your best to jump clear of the car and land on both feet. Be sure that no part of your body is touching the car when your feet touch the ground.
- Report all power line hazards to Duke Energy or your local emergency services department or agency.
Lastly, here is a link to our website addressing storm safety:
