After the Storm

Although the warm weather makes it easy to forget the January ice storm, work related to the storm continues at Paducah Power, mainly in the form of tree trimming.  Crews are working throughout the service territory cutting limbs that are touching lines or branches that could break and fall into lines.  Supervisors anticipate a higher than normal number of power outages in the coming months because of tree problems.  Because of the great amount of limb work to be done, crews do not have the manpower or time to take down whole trees unless it is absolutely necessary.    This means they are unable to handle any Trade-A-Tree requests for the time being.  Managers estimate it will take a year for PPS Tree trimmers to eliminate the problem limbs created by the ice storm in each circuit. 

Customers are responsible for trimming trees that interfere with the service lines between the pole and the house.  Customers may arrange for PPS to temporarily drop a service line for customers to trim around the line.  If your neighbor’s tree limb is hanging over your property line, you may remove the branch up to the property line. When planting a new tree, avoid planting it under or close to power lines. 

Paducah Power has finished picking up broken poles and other electrical debris left behind during ice storm repairs.  However, it is possible we have overlooked some debris.  If you see any debris, please report it to the PPS Service Department at 575-4010 so we can pick it up. 

While we hope to never endure another emergency as severe as the ice storm, we believe it is wise for customers to be prepared for a disaster that could cause extended power outages.  People who rely on electrically powered medical equipment for survival should have a backup power supply or a plan for getting assistance with their medical equipment. 

Are You Prepared?

During the ice storm you may have purchased some items to help you through the storm, but once the emergency passed, it was easy to forget the importance of having a disaster kit on hand at all times.  Here are some items you should consider keeping around the house for a disaster:

Bottled water

Non-perishable food

Manual can opener

Batteries in various sizes

Flashlights

Candles

Matches

Non-electric portable heater

Prescription refills

Baby wipes and hand sanitizer

Car charger for electronics

Cash

Disposable camera to document damage for insurance

Written list of important phone numbers including insurance and medical contacts

Extra towels, socks and underwear