Power company reps talk restoring electricity after recent storms

FLOYD COUNTY, Ky. (WYMT) - Thousands are still without power after recent storms.

Winds reaching 70 mph led to trees falling onto power lines across Eastern Kentucky.

“When those trees fall, they can be 100 feet in the air. You know, sometimes they’re gonna fall and hit a line that is in a right of way. So, trees falling is a big problem with wind,” Kentucky Power Communications Manager Sarah Nusbaum said.

Power lines falling down can also lead to poles that are holding them up to snap.

“Sometimes, we have trees that fall on lines that cause poles to break, and those poles have to be replaced, which is very, very time consuming,” Big Sandy RECC President Bruce Davis said.

At a certain elevation and height, trees can be dangerous from across a road.

“A large pine tree has fallen about 60 to 80 feet away from the power line. The tree was probably 100 feet long, striking a three phase power line,” Big Sandy RECC VP of Operations Jeff Prater said.

Once a storm rolls through, the ground has less strength to battle against wind from above.

“So, the wind has, you know, a much easier time pulling those trees over and knocking those things down onto power lines,” Sarah Nusbaum said.

While power companies are working hard to repair damaged lines, complete restoration could take a few days.

“The complete restoration process will take multiple days. Some people will be back on today, we’re turning the power on as we speak for other customers, but complete restoration is expected to take a couple of days,” Sarah Nusbaum said.

To see the number of power outages from each company, you can click here.

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