Officials: It may be weeks before power is back
By Dariush Shafa, Messenger-Inquirer
Published: Monday, February 2, 2009 12:17 AM CST
Muhlenberg County and its people are recovering from last week's ice storm, but it will still be days or weeks before life fully returns to normal, local officials said.
Rick Newman, county judge-executive, said power restoration is under way with more than 500 workers from Kentucky Utilities, crews from assisting power companies and contractors on the job.
National Guard troops are also in the county helping run generators and assisting in checking on citizens in more remote areas of the county, Newman said.
"I believe we're almost to the top of the hill," Newman said. "We've got a lot more resources coming in."
The ice storm has been a tremendous drain on the county's resources and manpower, Newman said, but even with such daunting problems, everyone has responded well.
"Our county roads department has been working around the clock, daylight till dusk, clearing debris off our county roads," Newman said. "We've been very fortunate. (Our emergency responders called to carbon monoxide poisoning incidents) have rescued several people and resuscitated them.
"Newman said it is the worst disaster to strike Muhlenberg County in his lifetime and, by many accounts, the worst in a century.
"I can't remember anything like this," Newman said. "I've talked to people that are 80 or 90 years old, and they've never seen anything like this.
"Don Franklin, the Region 12 Manager with the Kentucky Division of Emergency Management, was one of the state disaster officials sent to Muhlenberg County. He said as bad as this disaster has been, it has brought out the best in some people.
Supplies, generators, ready-to-eat meal rations and other equipment are pouring in from states all over, Franklin said.
"Americans come together in times of disaster," Franklin said. "The outpouring of donations, it's just the American spirit at its best.
"And the need is great, especially for manpower, Franklin said. That need is being felt especially hard in the law enforcement area.
To help out law enforcement, Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources officers, who have the same law enforcement powers as a Kentucky State Police trooper, and military police from the Kentucky National Guard are en route to the county as well.
"Law enforcement is being strained," Franklin said. "Some of these guys have been up for days.
"The National Guard is helping with that, and also with some other functions law enforcement is unable to handle. One of the biggest jobs that guard troops are helping with is door-to-door welfare checks being done at every residence in the county. Guard troops are also helping make sure power from generators stays on at critical locations, such as nursing homes and assisted living facilities, said 1st Lt. Anthony Haley, with the 307th Maintenance Company of the Kentucky National Guard.
"The area's so widespread that it's just (difficult) to cover the entire area," Haley said. "We're just trying to get the infrastructure back up. I think we've got everything we need, it's just going to take some time.
"Franklin said for now, they are just working to keep everyone safe and keep things going as they try to return life to normal. He said he knows they'll be successful as long as people cooperate and stick it out.
"We're still working the emergency aspects of the disaster," Franklin said. "These are obstacles we can overcome as long as we're working together."
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