Video from first hours of the storm

Here is a video we shot in the first hours of the Winter Ice Storm 2009. The footage was taken on Wednesday morning, Jan. 28, 2009. Due to power outages and no Internet connection, we were unable to post the video in a timely fashion. Better late than never!

Power restoration virtually complete this week

The two power companies serving Marion and Crittenden County – Kenergy and Kentucky Utilities – says that 98 percent of local residents will have electricity by Wednesday.

In most cases, only those with damaged service lines will be without power after mid week.

If you know of downed or badly sagging lines, contact the power company.

Debris cleanup differs in city and county

Debris cleanup on private property in Crittenden County will be left up to property owners unless something changes in the coming days. As of now, there will be no Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) roadside cleanup in Crittenden County, according to Judge-Executive Fred Brown.

Brown appealed to residents to not leave debris piled up near roadways because it can add to dangers and flooding problems.

The City of Marion plans to pick up debris piled on curbsides in the city beginning this week. City debris should be piled away from sidewalks and drainage ditches, and 10 feet from street right-of-ways.

City Administrator Mark Bryant said Marion is considering renting a chipping machine to grind up the debris.

Brown said county residents are responsible for their own debris disposal at this point although there is a small chance the county may be part of a statewide FEMA contract for clean up in the coming days. See this week's Crittenden Press printed edition for more details.

The old county landfill is open for dumping biodegradable material such as limbs and brush. There is no charge for dumping debris.

Brown said the county is clearing county right-of-ways, but that will be the extent of local government debris removal. Right-of-way clean up will take several weeks, he said.

Kenergy update Monday night

Here are Kenergy numbers as of late Monday night.

Breakdown by county:

Breckinridge 2
Caldwell 838
Crittenden 655
Daviess 2,686
Hancock 770
Henderson 1,100
Hopkins 2,473
Livingston 16
Lyon 770
McLean 867
Muhlenberg 7
Ohio 690
Union 1,000
Webster 1,177

Kenergy update Monday afternoon

Kenergy's utages by county as of 4:15 p.m., Monday, February 9, 2009.

Power was restored to to about 300 homes in Crittenden County today.

Breckinridge 2
Caldwell 838
Crittenden 655
Daviess 2,866
Hancock 770
Henderson 1,100
Hopkins 2,507
Livingston 16
Lyon 770
McLean 867
Muhlenburg 7
Ohio 690
Union 1,000
Webster 1,199

UPDATE: School back in session on Tuesday

Crittenden County schools will be back in session Tuesday, Feb. 10 after 10 days missed due to the major winter storm and its aftermath.

Buses are running on normal routes and normal times.

Church giving away diapers and wipes

Marion Church of Christ is giving away free diapers and baby wipes to those affected by the storm and in need of such items.

The church is giving them away as long as supplies last Monday. The church is locateda t 546 West Elm in Marion, Ky.

KU & Kenergy Updates from their Web sites

Now that power has been restored to a great number residences in Crittenden County, we will not be providing online updates as often. You may, however, continue to seek your own updates from the power companies' Web sites listed below:

Kentucky Utiltities

http://www.eon-us.com/storm/default.asp

Kenergy

http://www.kenergycorp.com/

School decision will be made today at 2 p.m.

Crittenden County school officials are meeting today at 2 p.m., to discuss when classes will be able to resume in the county.

School officials are hoping that bus routes and schools will be ready for classes to start back on Tuesday; however, that decision will not be official until after 2 p.m.

We will post an update as soon as it's available.

Dangers still lurking in Crittenden County

The ice and snow are gone but the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management (KYEM) is warning residents there are still dangers.

"We have had reports of people being injured and even killed from things like falling off a roof to carbon monoxide poisoning from generators," said KYEM Director Gen. John Heltzel. "Kentuckians need to use good judgment as we recover from the devastating winter storm. Our top priority is always saving lives."

KYEM is offering the following tips:

* Be careful cleaning debris from property, if using a chainsaw be sure
to read the owners manual and follow the safety instructions.
* Make sure circuit breakers are turned off if you lost power to
prevent surges when electricity is restored.
* Only use generators and portable heaters in well ventilated areas.
Read and follow the manufacturer's safety instructions.
* Use extra caution while driving and be aware that emergency service
vehicles and utility service vehicles may still be working in the area.


For more safety information visit the KYEM Web Site at www.kyem.ky.gov.

There are currently 93 counties in the Commonwealth covered in the Federal Major Disaster Declaration by President Barack Obama for the winter storm that began Jan. 27.

No Burning in Crittenden County

Reminder: There is a burn ban in Crittenden County. Outside burning of any type is prohibited due to high winds and conditions that could easily lead to devastating forest fires.

High winds are forecast for Monday.

Monday morning Kenergy Report

Kenergy made strides in restoring power in Crittenden County on Sunday, re-energizing about 250 customers.

The power company has approximately 15,000 customers remaining without power in its 14-county area.

Outages by counties:

Breckinridge 2
Caldwell 1,003
Crittenden 946
Daviess 3,000
Hancock 770
Henderson 1,100
Hopkins 3,123
Livingston 16
Lyon 816
McLean 1,111
Muhlenburg 7
Ohio 772
Union 1,000
Webster 1,314

Be aware of downed power lines

The ice storm of 2009 has brought miles of downed power lines to the ground throughout Kenergy’s 14-county service territory. Downed power lines can present extreme hazards if people aren’t cautious.

“Safety for our employees, visiting crews, and our members is our number one concern. Never touch, move, or go near any type of downed power line. People should consider all downed wires to be energized and hot. Even lines that are de-energized can become energized at any time, especially during the restoration process,” says Sandy Novick, Kenergy President and CEO. 

Also, never try to move tree limbs that are on or near power lines. Anything touching a line should be considered dangerous. To report a downed power line, please call 1-800-844-4832.

Kenergy was operating with 981 men in the field Sunday. An additional 120 were expected to join in the restoration efforts on Monday. 

“We are prepared to add to our resources as they become available,” adds Novick.

Kenergy is a not-for-profit, member-owned electric distribution cooperative, serving customers in all or portions of 14 western Kentucky counties. The corporate headquarters is in Henderson with service centers being located in Owensboro, Hanson, Hartford, Hawesville and Marion.

30 dead from Kentucky storm

ASSOCIATED PRESS

Warm weather helped Kentuckians continue their efforts to bring order back to a state turned upside down since a deadly ice storm almost two weeks ago killed 30 people and forced thousands from their darkened homes.
Statewide, officials said Saturday the number of ice storm-related deaths had increased by two, bringing it to 30.

In addition, Public Service Commission spokesman Andrew Melnykovych says the number of power outages in the state dropped to about 90,000, down from a high of a record 769,000.

State emergency management officials said 27 water systems across the state remained on a boil-water advisory, and a total of 719 people remained in shelters as of Saturday morning.

KU reports progress, post photos

The power company Kentucky Utilities says it is making great progress in restoration efforts in the area. The company has also posted some photos on its Web site (click here) taken by linemen while working after the storm.

KU spokesman David Ward said, "Many of the poles shown are transmission poles and structures. Though they look simple, they are highly engineered to specific standards and much more challenging to build, repair, or replace than a normal wooden utility pole. These pictures are reasons why we lost so much of our infrastructure contributing to the outage times."

Kenergy report for Saturday afternoon

At 3:30 p.m., Saturday, Kenergy reported the following outages across western Kentucky:

By County Outage:
Caldwell 989
Crittenden 1,200
Daviess 3,300
Hancock 770
Henderson 1,100
Hopkins 3,200
Livingston 18
Lyon 1,600
McLean 1,200
Muhlenburg 7
Ohio 935
Union 1,100
Webster 1,500

Burning is prohibited

Due to high winds burning is prohibited in Crittenden County until further notice by order of County Judge-Executive Fred Brown.

The order means that no outdoor flames are permitted.

Kenergy update Saturday morning

Kenergy's progress in Crittenden County has been slowed a bit as crews try to get poles reset and hardware attached to them.

As of 6:30 a.m., Saturday, Kenergy has 19,322 customers remaining without power.

Breakdown by counties:
Caldwell 989
Crittenden 1,200
Daviess 3,800
Hancock 770
Henderson 1,100
Hopkins 3,200
Livingston 18
Lyon 1,600
McLean 1,200
Muhlenburg 7
Ohio 1,100
Union 1,500
Webster 1,600

Maps showing where Kenergy crews are working are available at its Website www.kenergycorp.com.

"The primary area of focus remains on rebuilding the infrastructure, which includes framing and setting poles, and attaching the necessary hardware to the poles," said power company spokesperson Lisa Vincent.

There are 623 linemen from neighboring utilities helping Kenergy restore power.

Marion United Methodist Schedule

Marion United Methodist Church will have its regular service Sunday, Feb. 8. Here is the church's schedule:

9:30 a.m., Sunday School

10:45 a.m., Worship -- Sermon 3 on "Intentional-Faith Development"

6 p.m.,  Make-up session for the "Passionate Worship" (Study that was missed on Jan. 28)

Press publisher interviewed for public radio station

Crittenden Press publisher Chris Evans was featured on Murray's National Public Radio affiliate station WKMS. Click here to listen to that interview regarding the storm aftermath and the newspaper's efforts to keep residents informed following the storm.

Also, the Rural Journalism Institute published story on its blog regarding The Press' storm coverage. Click here to see that coverage.