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(LOUISVILLE, Ky.) – In observation of National Preparedness Month this September, Louisville Gas and Electric Company and Kentucky Utilities Company encourage families and communities to plan ahead so they can be as ready as possible when disasters or emergencies strike.

While the type of emergency may impact how people, businesses, industries and agencies must prepare, the utilities offer the following 3 tips to help get preparation going.

1. Make a plan —Whether at home or work, develop an emergency plan involving each person at your location so you’ll know how and where to meet, how you will contact each other and what to do in different situations.
2. Stock up and make a kit — Gather enough essentials for at least 72 hours, including necessary medicines, water, a crank-powered flashlight, first aid items, a battery-operated radio and extra batteries. Store stock-piled emergency supplies in one location, preferably in air-tight storage. You may have to evacuate at a moment’s notice and take essentials with you. Make an emergency preparedness kit and make sure each member of the household or work location knows where it will be stored. Be sure to make a kit for your vehicle as well.
3. Keep informed — When power outages occur, LG&E and KU customers can use the utilities’ new mobile app to access and keep track of near real-time outage information on the utilities’ online outage map. Customers can also use the app to report their outage and more.

LG&E and KU customers can also sign up for outage texting to report an outage to 4LGEKU (454358) and to request status updates from their mobile device. After customers text OUTAGE and the location of the outage being reported has been confirmed, customers can text STATUS at any time to receive updates regarding when their service might be restored. Once power is back on, the customer will receive a text confirming service has been restored.

How utilities are planning ahead

Ongoing investments

For Kentucky’s largest utilities, LG&E and KU, preparedness includes continuous maintenance and periodic enhancements to the electric and natural gas systems, generation stations, and energy infrastructure that enables the utilities to provide safe, reliable service to customers whenever it’s needed. In the LG&E and KU electric system alone, ongoing efforts have reduced the frequency and duration of power outages by 40% since 2011, excluding major events.

Mutual Assistance Partnerships

In addition to these efforts, LG&E and KU maintain relationships, including four different mutual assistance partnerships, that provide access to invaluable resources and hundreds of crews from more than 20 states when mobilizing for potential large-scale restoration efforts.

LG&E and KU customers are always the utilities’ top priority. The utilities take many factors into consideration, including the weather heading toward Kentucky, when allocating resources to other utilities in need and ensure ample resources are on hand for anything from routine maintenance to emergency situations. 

Sponsored by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Preparedness Month is an annual campaign raising awareness about the need to be ready when a disaster occurs.

LG&E and KU offer an extensive online library of information about electric and natural gas safety, the restoration process and general tips about what to do during an outage. Visit lge-ku.com/storm to access these resources.

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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 more than 1.3 million customers and have consistently ranked among the best companies for customer service in the United States. LG&E serves 332,000 natural gas and 425,000 electric customers in Louisville and 16 surrounding counties. KU serves 564,000 customers in 77 Kentucky counties and five counties in Virginia. More information is available at www.lge-ku.com and www.pplweb.com.