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Southern Indiana, Northern Kentucky battered by remnants of Hurricane Ike |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 00:00 |
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As the remnants of what was once Hurricane Ike made its way north in the form of a tropical depression, a cold front moving southward out of Canada collided with it causing near hurricane strength winds to topple trees, shingles to blow off, roofs to be uplifted and non-secured items to simply blow away.
The result was that most of the Southern Indiana area was without power for most of the day Sunday, and many may not have it until at least the weekend as crews from Duke Energy and Clark, Harrison, and Jackson County REMC made their way from line to line to diagnose and reconnect households, section by section.
Many households are operating on generators, which quickly sold out of local stores as residents made mad dashes to purchase them.
Another dilemma facing residents was that facing water companies. As power went out, so did the water utilities’ ability to pump water to residents. Compounded with no power already and many residents were in dire straits.
Gas stations on Sunday evening and Monday were swamped as those few who still had power were bonbarded with customers, and in some cases found their tanks running low or empty as residents hurried to fill gas tanks and cans for running generators and saws to clean up debris on houses and out of roads.
Officials were saying the damage and resulting repairs were the worst they had seen in over 30 years. Residents in Louisville who are a part of LG&E, may not see power for up to two weeks as crews work around the clock to bring power back on to damaged areas.
The damage throughout the area came in the form of uplifted shingles on houses, torn off roofs from both homes and barns, articles of furniture, and non-secured items being blown hundreds of feet from their original locations, and many, many downed trees and limbs.
Jackson County REMC reported about 12,000 households without power on Monday.
Duke Energy said via television stations that upwards of 144,000 households in their area were without power on Monday.
Clark REMC reported that many of those households might not have power restored for many days as severalroads were blocked by debris and limbs, and were impassable.
Crews from the electric utilities began nearly immediately to work on downed lines, with many homes having power restored as early as Sunday night. Still more got power back on on Monday morning.
As fire departments and highway crews made their way from road the road on Sunday, they would no sooner begin to make headway on a road, then they would be called away for a tree down on a power line elsewhere.
In Washington County, during the height of the storm, virtually every fire department was out simultaneously as they cleared debris, extinguished small blazes, and cut away fallen limbs and trees.
The predicament that may be the largest part of the current delay in restoring power was that many such as Duke Energy and the local REMC companies had committed crews to go to the Texas coast to assist with the restoration of power along the gulf after Hurricane Ike came ashore on Friday night. According to many power company officials they have recalled the majority of them, however, it will take time for those crews to repack, and return to the area. In the mean time utility companies also called on crews from Northern Indiana to assist in the restoration process.
Forecasters had initially called for a wind advisory on Sunday afternoon, feeling that increased winds of 30-40 miles per hour were possible. The convergence of the cold front along with the tropical depression made for the perfect ingredients for the advisory to upgraded to a warning as wind velocity increased to near 60 miles per hour. Louisville television stations reported sustained winds of nearly 75 mph, with one in Orange County clocked at 81 mph.
Keeping that in mind, hurricanes begin at a Category One with winds of 74-95 mph.
According to officials with the electric companies efforts were being concentrated on restoring three-phase backbone lines on Monday and would extend to major taps on Tuesday.
Above all else officials are asking residents to please not go near any downed power lines, and keep away from any trees and limbs that are in contact with power lines. Always consider any line, in the air or on the ground, as hot and dangerous. |
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:22 |
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?Metro United Way starts 2008 campaign with a Virtual Kickoff |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 00:00 |
? ? Metro United Way held its first ever Virtual Campaign Kickoff today by inviting the public to view the 2008 campaign kickoff video online at metrounitedway.org.
Metro United Way went “green” this year by hosting the kickoff video, which includes highlights such as representatives of local affiliate TV stations expressing how they LIVE UNITED, and local hero, Patrick Henry Hughes, speaking to the community about the support he has received from Metro United Way.
“Patrick is someone who has not only benefitted from services that the community supports but also gives back to his community, and by doing so he and his family are perfect examples of what it means to Live United,” says Joe Tolan, President and CEO of Metro United Way.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:27 |
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?Community Foundation announces Youth Philanthropy Council Members for 2008-2009 |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 00:00 |
? ? The Community Foundation of Southern Indiana has selected the new members of its Youth Philanthropy Councils. There is one council for each of the three counties the Community Foundation serves - one each in Clark, Floyd, and Harrison counties. Each council has teen and adult members who oversee a service project, receive and award grants and help organize the annual Gold Acorn Youth Volunteer Celebration, which honors teen volunteers each Spring.
Shawna Sipes, who was recently hired as the coordinator for the councils by CFSI, helped gather names and process applications for the councils.
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:31 |
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?Floyd Central Theatre Boosters to participate in “Shop for a Cause” at Macy’s |
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Written by Administrator
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Wednesday, 17 September 2008 00:00 |
?? You can support Floyd Central Theatre at Macy’s “Shop for a Cause”, held on Saturday, September 20 at the Louisville Oxmoor Center or Jefferson Mall locations or online at www.macys.com.
This one-day shopping event is one of the many ways Macy’s gives back to the community. On “Shop for a Cause” Day, guests have the opportunity to participate in a unique shopping experience including discounts, entertainment, special events, and the opportunity to win a $500 gift card to be given away at each local store!
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Last Updated on Wednesday, 17 September 2008 10:39 |
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