Gov. Andy Beshear said Wednesday that there are now 11 confirmed deaths as a result of the winter storm that struck over the weekend.
According to the governor, the deaths occurred in Whitley, Morgan, Graves, Daviess, Pulaski, Owen, Livingston, and Jefferson counties, along with three in Johnson County.
“We are praying for all of these families during this difficult time,” Beshear said. “We are also opening the Team Kentucky Storm Relief Fund, where will offer to pay $10,000 apiece for each of these funerals. We don’t want these families to have to wait for reimbursement from FEMA. We will be reaching out to these families directly.”
Beshear said that as of around 1:30 p.m. (ET), there were still around 12,485 power outages, which is down from the peak of 73,590 on Sunday. “We are hearing that it might be up to a week before power is fully restored. What that means is you need to prepare. You need to know where your nearest warming centers are or you need to stay with family. Take all the steps necessary to make sure you get through this, because it’s going to be dangerously cold at least through the middle of next week.”
Under the current state of emergency, the governor says the Transportation Cabinet has authorized their crews to start helping with clearing non-state roads, in the hardest hit areas.
“This will let local line workers start to restore power more quickly.”
Beshear notes water systems have been affected as well, many due to broken pipes.
“We currently have 11,483 homes or businesses under boil water advisories. Sixteen drinking water systems are on limited operation and there are 2,496 connections that are currently without water.”
Beshear stated there were some gas and fuel shortages on Sunday and Monday due to the weather but that he is not aware of any current issues.
By Tom Latek, Kentucky Today
