Showing posts with label Mutual Assistance. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Mutual Assistance. Show all posts

LG&E and KU crews helping restore power along the East Coast

Sunday, February 16, 2014 Posted by Unknown 0 comments
We have dealt with snow, ice and frigid temperatures for months. While next week may bring some slightly warmer temperatures, our neighbors in the Southeast to the Northeast are trying to dig out of another winter blast that has left hundreds of thousands of people without power. To help impacted utilities with preparations and response efforts, we released 70 employees and 238 business partners this past week as part of a nationwide mutual assistance network. The crews included line technicians, damage assessors and transmission technicians.

We understand sending mutual aid crews can be a delicate balance, particularly when the forecast for our service territory may include threatening weather. According to our Director of Electric System Restoration and Distribution, John Wolfe, “We have to ensure, first and foremost, that LG&E and KU customers are being taken care of based on current conditions, business needs and the weather forecast. Given the limited impact of this latest round of winter storms to LG&E and KU service areas, we were able to send a number of contract crews mid-week, but needed to hold our company personnel and additional business partners until Winter Storm Pax passed completely through our eastern Kentucky and ODP territories.”
We are involved in four mutual assistance programs with Great Lakes Mutual Assistance, Midwest Mutual Assistance, Southeastern Electric Exchange and Southern Gas Association. The partnerships mean access to valuable resources and hundreds of crews from more than 20 states when mobilizing for large-scale restoration efforts.
Labels: , , , ,

LG&E, KU send crews to assist with storm restoration

Tuesday, November 19, 2013 Posted by Brian Phillips 0 comments
Kentucky had a target painted on it by the National Weather Service this past Sunday, but our customers largely dodged that weather bullet.

 Throughout Sunday, most of Kentucky was placed under a tornado watch. Our Earlington Operations service area, located in western Kentucky, was hit with some wicked weather as the storm pushed through the state.  

An EF3 tornado touched down 1.2 miles northeast of Morganfield and traveled 14.5 miles on the ground, causing damage to our electric transmission and distribution systems in that area. 

 At peak, we had more than 4,500 customers without power, with seven transmission structures and eight distribution poles reported as damaged.

 Minimal storm damage and customer outages occurred in other areas of the state that we serve, and all impacted customers were restored headed into Monday morning.    

Crews head north to help

Unfortunately, electric companies to the north of us weren't so lucky. As of 8 p.m. Sunday night, utility companies in Indiana and Michigan experienced nearly 600,000 customer outages. 

Above: Utility workers from 21 states, including Kentucky, lent restoration assistance to us in 2009 after a record ice storm caused more than 400,000 outages in our service territory. 
As part of our participation in mutual assistance organizations, we released more than 150 contract distribution line technicians to Consumers Electric, American Electric Power, and Northern Indiana Public Service Company to assist with restoration efforts in Indiana and Michigan.

Our company has a long history of helping other utilities in need during major restorations. 

With each event, however, we always keep sufficient resources in place at home to handle inclement weather and day-to-day business, such as emergency situations and maintenance.

How you can help assist tornado victims 

The American Red Cross provides people in crisis today with hope for tomorrow. They're also on the scene in the affected areas helping families recover from this past weekend's storms. You can donate today and help them in their mission.  

Until next time, be safe and keep using energy wisely. 

Labels: , ,

LG&E and KU lends helping hand during disasters

Thursday, September 26, 2013 Posted by Louisville Gas and Electric and Kentucky Utilities 0 comments
Last year’s Hurricane Sandy reminded us the destructive power of a hurricane can even strike late in the season. The massive storm was the deadliest, most destructive of the 2012 Atlantic hurricane season and also proved that even the best resources can benefit from help. For our company, the help comes in the form of several mutual assistance programs supporting our natural gas and electric operations.
We are involved in four mutual assistance programs with Great Lakes Mutual Assistance, Midwest Mutual Assistance, Southeastern Electric Exchange and Southern Gas Association.  These partnerships provide access to valuable resources and hundreds of crews from more than 20 states when mobilizing for large scale restoration efforts in times of natural disasters and crisis situations.
LG&E and KU lent support and resources to the Hurricane Sandy restoration effort last year as part of the utilities' involvement in mutual assistance.  
Our partnerships have paid off countless times. During restoration efforts following Hurricane Sandy, we mobilized 400 line technicians, tree crews and other personnel from across our service territories to assist PPL Electric Utilities and other northeast utilities impacted by Hurricane Sandy.  Some of the same resources answered the call for assistance in our area five years earlier after the 2008 windstorm caused by Hurricane Ike and the 2009 ice storm that hit just four months later.
Our restoration efforts are supported by the Kentucky Emergency Management Private Sector Working Group initiative.  The group is a collaborative network of corporations, businesses and industries that help fill the resource and supply chain gaps during emergency response and recovery efforts following natural disasters and crisis situations.  The coordinated effort of providing critical supplies and services helps speed the recovery process for communities. 
“We realized that if we planned ahead and leveraged certain businesses and resources, such as water, blankets and transportation, for example, during critical incidents, we could mitigate the impact of disasters,” said Greg Thomas, vice president of Electric Distribution for LG&E and KU.
For more information on disaster preparedness, visit www.lge-ku.com/storm.
Labels: ,

Hurricane Help: LG&E, KU Send Crews Down South to Restore Power

Thursday, August 30, 2012 Posted by Brian Phillips 0 comments
To help the Gulf Coast community recover from Hurricane Isaac, LG&E and KU sent 204 employees and Kentucky-based contractors this morning to help Entergy restore power.

The hurricane’s high winds and slow progression have left trails of debris and destruction across the Gulf states.

A quick check this morning of Entergy's Louisiana outage map showed nearly 700,000 customers without power, so complete restoration will likely take several days.

Our people will meet up with Entergy crews later today to begin power restoration, repair damaged equipment, downed wires and other storm-related damage.

The LG&E and KU team consists of veteran line technicians, team leaders and tree trimmers from locations across Kentucky, many of whom have decades of experience and have travelled out of state numerous times to help other utilities in their time of need. 

These efforts are a result of our participation in nationwide mutual assistance organizations, in which a collection of utility companies assist other utilities in times of natural disasters and crisis situations.

Remember the 2009 ice storm and 2008 wind storm, when hundreds of thousands of customers across Kentucky lost power? Entergy sent crews to help us restore power then, so it's great to be able to help them restore and recover now, in their time of need.

Whenever we receive a request from another utility to send help, we always make sure our customers at home are well-covered in the event of inclement weather, and to be able to handle day-to-day business such as emergency situations and maintenance. Your family and our community is our top priorty, and we have more than enough resources available at home to hold down the fort. 

Crews will continue to restore power for Gulf Coast utilities until no longer needed and as long as weather patterns remain calm in our service territory.

How you can help

The American Red Cross already has boots on the ground assisting with recovery in the affected areas. Visit their website to learn how you can contribute to their relief efforts.

Prepare now

Do you have a disaster plan? Would your family know what to do during a natural disaster? Early preparation is critical to staying safe and out of harm's way. Check out www.ready.gov for some good information on how to be informed, make a plan and build an emergency kit.  
Labels: , , , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)