Windy Weekend

By Greg Bird
birdman@tmcvoice.com

Unseasonal strong winds whipped through the area Saturday as a weather front moved in, bringing with it heavy rain and thunderstorms. The winds downed trees and power lines throughout the region, causing damage and power outages. According to South Kentucky RECC about 10,000 members were left without power at some point during the day, with about 40 poles broken in their coverage area. As of Tuesday, all McCreary County customers were reported back on line, and about 35 Pulaski County customers were expected to be turned on soon.
The outages were widespread, said SKRECC V-P of Engineering Kevin Newton, and there were restoration efforts across the system.
“The outages were widespread across our entire system, but most were located in Clinton, Wayne, Pulaski and McCreary Counties. Crews began working immediately Saturday morning, and we called in contract crews to assist, as well. In all, we ended up with about 40 broken poles. SKRECC is still working on about 13 outages affecting about 30 members, many that require pole change outs.”