Mayor Linda Gorton today provided several updates on storm clean-up:
Kentucky Utilities currently estimates about 35,000 households in Lexington are without power. Through mutual assistance partnerships, the company has secured an additional 1,500 resource personnel from utilities in various states who are working now with our employees and business partners. Some of those are staging at the Kentucky Horse Park. KU’s outage map now has estimated restoration times for some Lexington customers who remain without power. More will be added based on KU on-site assessment of system damage and the various degrees of difficulty of each repair job. At this point, KU does not have an estimated time when the bulk of all customers in Fayette County will have power restored.
The Lexington Senior Center on Life Lane will be closed on Monday. The Center does not have electricity, and there are power lines down on Life Lane. The city’s satellite senior centers will be open. They are Bell House, open 8 a.m. – 4:30 p.m., Monday through Thursday at 545 Sayre Ave.; Black and Williams Center, open from 9:30 a.m. – 2 p.m., Monday through Thursday, at 498 Georgetown St.; and Charles Young Center, open 9:30 a.m. – 1 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 215 Midland Ave.
People in need of help related to medical issues or exposure because of the wind storm and power outages can call 311 for a referral. Cases will be referred to the Red Cross, which will assess each case individually to determine needs and appropriate assistance. The Red Cross can be reached at 1-800-RED-CROS or 1-800-733-2767.
Use caution when driving. There are continuing issues with traffic signals on many roads, including twisted signals at 10 intersections, making the signals hard to see; signals running on inverters at seven intersections; and dark signals at 10 intersections. Motorists should treat intersections where signals are dark as four-way stops.
Streets & Roads, with assistance from several other city divisions, has cleared the roads of storm debris wherever possible. About 15 intersections remain blocked because of downed power lines in the storm debris. City Street crews cannot clear the storm debris until electricians have cleared out the wires.
Lexington residents can take their storm debris – trees and yard waste – to the former Old Frankfort Pike Landfill, 1631 Old Frankfort Pike, at no charge. The site will be open from 8 a.m. – 4 p.m. beginning today through Friday, March 10. A Fayette County driver’s license or other proof of residence in Fayette County is required. The entrance is off Old Frankfort Pike. The city will recycle the debris and turn it into compost.
Residents who cannot get their storm debris to the landfill can bring it out to the curb for pick up. Debris can be no longer than 12 feet in length and 16 inches in diameter. Debris will not be picked up curbside until the city’s Streets & Roads crews finish clearing streets. Do not put storm debris into the street, and do not block the sidewalk. Stack it between the sidewalk and the curb.
