FRANKFORT, KY: April 4, 2011 – A severe spring storm packing extremely high winds, strong lightning and torrential rain knocked out electricity service to more than 19,900 Kentucky Power Company customers this evening as it moved across eastern Kentucky. The powerful storm caused extensive damage to power lines, utility poles and other electrical equipment leading to the power outage cases.

Kentucky Power restoration crews began work immediately, assessing damage and making repairs to circuits affected by the storm. At this time, based on preliminary damage and outage estimates, company officials say it could be as late as Wednesday evening before all customers in its service area affected by the storm are returned to service. The company is bringing in additional line crews to aid in restoration efforts.

Company officials have reported downed power lines and broken utility poles in several locations and cautioned Eastern Kentucky residents to never approach downed power lines. No matter how harmless a downed wire may appear, it should be considered energized and dangerous. Report all downed power lines to Kentucky Power at (800) 572-1113 or notify local emergency or law enforcement officials immediately. Never approach or touch anything that comes in contact with a downed power line.

As of 9:30 p.m. today, approximately 14,700 customers remain without power, across the company’s service area. Company officials explained these numbers can rise and fall throughout the overnight hours as the storm continues to manifest itself and new outage situations are identified, reported and/or addressed.

PLEASE NOTE:
Customers and media representatives can track current power outages in their area by going to the Outages section, then the “view outage map.” The outage map site is updated continuously.

Kentucky Power is an operating unit of American Electric Power and provides electricity to approximately 175,000 customers in all or parts of 20 Eastern Kentucky counties.

American Electric Power is one of the largest electric utilities in the United States, delivering electricity to more than 5 million customers in 11 states. AEP ranks among the nation’s largest generators of electricity, owning nearly 38,000 megawatts of generating capacity in the U.S. AEP also owns the nation’s largest electricity transmission system, a nearly 39,000-mile network that includes more 765 kilovolt extra-high voltage transmission lines than all other U.S. transmission systems combined. AEP’s transmission system directly or indirectly serves about 10 percent of the electricity demand in the Eastern Interconnection, the interconnected transmission system that covers 38 eastern and central U.S. states and eastern Canada, and approximately 11 percent of the electricity demand in ERCOT, the transmission system that covers much of Texas. AEP’s utility units operate as AEP Ohio, AEP Texas, Appalachian Power (in Virginia and West Virginia), AEP Appalachian Power (in Tennessee), Indiana Michigan Power, Kentucky Power, Public Service Company of Oklahoma, and Southwestern Electric Power Company (in Arkansas, Louisiana and east Texas). AEP’s headquarters are in Columbus, Ohio.