Outage Updates

Winter Storm Uri brought ice and snow storms to the South Kentucky RECC service territory beginning Monday, February 15. At peak, the co-op reported about 21,000 without power.

Since Monday evening, South Kentucky RECC has had 165 men working 16-hour shifts to restore power to members - that is approximately 15,000 hours that line workers and tree trimmers have put in this week. (This doesn’t even include the hours worked by the other co-op employees in support positions.) These included South Kentucky RECC crews, contract crews and crews from co-ops across Kentucky and Georgia. They have changed out about 45 broken power poles and hundreds of spans of power line that was broken by tree limbs breaking under the weight of the ice and tearing them down. They have worked in frigid conditions with ice and snow pelting them, and several have worked as their families were at home with no power.

South Kentucky RECC CEO Ken Simmons says crews will continue working into the first of the week with final restoration and cleanup.

“Sunday, we were able to get down to, for the most part, the very small outages – those with less than 10 residences involved – and individual outages. We did have a little set back Sunday when ice began melting off of trees, causing limbs to whip up and slap our lines, but crews worked and got those restored. Restoration will continue until every member has power to their home. We will also begin working on the notes from our members about items that need to be looked at and cleaned up, such as tree limbs that have broken and are near our lines. This week has shown me the dedication that our employees have for their membership, as well as the spirit of cooperation that exists between electric cooperatives. It has been a demanding week, and crews have forged on, working in trying conditions. I cannot express my gratitude to them enough.”

South Kentucky RECC wants to thank our members and our communities for their patience and kindness as we weathered these storms. We thank those who have offered kind words of encouragement, food and hot drinks, and most importantly, prayers for our employees.