News Releases

(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – Before the end of the month, spring will roll in along with the many unpredictable weather patterns that typically come with it. While we can’t control the weather, we can control how prepared we are when it strikes.

Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company urge customers to evaluate their readiness plans during this Severe Weather Preparedness month, and offer three simple steps to prepare for severe weather.

1. Plan ahead: Visit www.ready.gov to make a plan and learn how to build an emergency supply kit, which should include items such as prescription medicines, a weather radio, important phone numbers, a first aid kit, flashlights and extra batteries, to name a few.
   
   Before severe weather strikes, LG&E and KU prepare by monitoring weather conditions, placing field crews and business partners on alert and readying operating equipment and material. Throughout the year, LG&E and KU make infrastructure investments and perform regular system maintenance such as power line tree clearance and hazardous tree removals to enhance system reliability.
    
2. Stay informed: During outage situations, system and restoration updates are provided through the LG&E and KU online outage map and automated phone system. At the beginning of a widespread restoration event, LG&E and KU must first assess damage to the electric system before repairs can be prioritized.
   
   Keeping customers informed of the companies' progress is an essential part of LG&E and KU's emergency response plan. In times of widespread power outages, general restoration information and safety tips are provided on LG&E and KU's website, Facebook page, Twitter feed and Instagram page.
    
3. Be safe: Always assume any downed wire is an energized power line. Stay away and report it immediately. LG&E customers should call 502-589-1444; KU customers should call 800-981-0600. Visit lge-ku.com/storm for important safety information concerning portable generators, food storage and electric service.

When responding to major power outages across the utilities' service territory, priority is given to critical-care organizations, such as hospitals, fire and police stations and nursing homes. At the same time, LG&E and KU crews focus on restoring service to schools, airports and other utility infrastructure – like water and sewer pumping stations.

In making repairs, the goal is to fix problems that will restore power to large groups of customers simultaneously, so hundreds or even thousands of customers come back online at one time. LG&E and KU must first repair any critical infrastructure that might be damaged, like transmission lines and substations that carry electricity into neighborhoods and commercial areas, before power can be restored to those locations. Crews then move to restore neighborhoods and then continue on to address issues that affect power to individual streets and homes.

Customers experiencing a power outage should report it to the company by either using the online outage reporting system or by calling LG&E at 502-589-1444 or KU at 800-981-0600. Customers can also report outages by texting OUTAGE to 4LGEKU (454358) and request updates on their outage by texting STATUS to the same number.   

While every storm is unique and presents distinct challenges to utility crews, LG&E and KU remain committed to restoring power safely and as quickly as possible and keeping customers informed every step of the way.

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Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company, part of the PPL Corporation (NYSE: PPL) family of companies, are regulated utilities that serve a total of 1.2 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 321,000 natural gas and 400,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. Kentucky Utilities serves 543,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com