FRANKFORT, KY – Yesterday, a severe summer storm packing high winds and heavy rain led to more than 63,000 power outages for Kentucky Power Company and more than 1.3 million for its parent company, American Electric Power. The storm caused major damage to power lines, utility poles and other electrical equipment leading to the power outage cases across the company’s service area.

Kentucky Power restoration crews began work immediately, assessing damage and making repairs to circuits affected by the storm.  At this time, based on preliminary damage and outage estimates, company officials say it could be as late as Friday, July 6 before all customers in its service area affected by the storm are returned to service (although most customers will have power restored well before then).  The company is bringing in additional line crews and damage assessors to aid in restoration efforts and will muster additional resources if necessary.

Company officials have reported downed power lines and broken utility poles in several locations and caution eastern Kentucky residents to never approach downed power lines. No matter how harmless a downed wire may appear, it should be considered energized and dangerous.  Report all downed power lines to Kentucky Power at (800) 572-1113 or notify local emergency or law enforcement officials immediately.  Never approach or touch anything that comes in contact with a downed power line.

As of 11 a.m. today, approximately 49,950 customers are without power, across the company’s service area.  Company officials explained these numbers can rise and fall throughout the day as the storm continues to manifest itself and new outage situations are identified, reported and/or addressed.  Severe weather is again possible today and could produce additional outage cases.

At this time the company provided the following outage numbers by service area:

Kentucky Power does not serve all residents of the counties listed.  Many are served by other utilities.

PLEASE NOTE: 

Customers and media representatives can track current power outages in their area by going to www.kentuckypower.com and clicking on the “Kentucky June 29 Severe Summer Storm” link in the red box at the top of the page.  To see a list of power outages by county, click the “Outages & Problems” tab, then the “view outage map.” The outage map site is updated continuously.    

Due to the extensive number of outage cases across Kentucky Power and the AEP System, customers may see delays in reaching our Solution Center to report power outages.  Please be patient in reaching a customer service representative or use the automated service available or kentuckypower.com to report outages.

Kentucky Power is an operating unit of American Electric Power and provides electricity to approximately 173,000 customers in all or parts of 20 Eastern Kentucky counties. 

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system thatcovers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.

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