News Releases

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — On this first day of spring, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company provide simple ways for customers to plan for severe weather.

LG&E and KU take steps year-round to prepare for inclement weather, and offer customers the following tips and suggestions to plan ahead, stay informed and be safe during storm events:

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, 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 contact centers 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 tree trimming and hazardous tree removals to enhance system reliability.
    
2. Stay informed: During outage situations, system and restoration updates are provided through LG&E and KU automated phone system, online outage map and outage map app. 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 Facebook page, Twitter feed and official company blog.
    
3. Be safe: Always assume any downed wire is an energized power line. Stay away and report it immediately. LG&E customers should call 502-589-3500; KU customers should call 1-800-981-0600. Visit www.lge-ku.com/storm for important safety information concerning portable generators, food storage and electric service.

In responding to major power outages across the utilities' service territory, a 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.

LG&E and KU must repair any critical infrastructure that might be damaged, like the transmission lines and substations that carry electricity into neighborhoods and commercial areas, before power can be restored to those locations.

The goal is to fix a problem that will restore power to large groups of customers simultaneously, so hundreds or even thousands of customers come back online with one repair job.

Crews then move on to where they can get neighborhoods restored and continue until they address problems 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 502-589-3500 or KU at 1-800-981-0600.

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.



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 397,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. Kentucky Utilities serves 546,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.