The Hurricane Ike wind storm produced a small number of deaths and injuries – mostly from falling trees and limbs. At least 30 deaths and many times more injuries were attributed to the ice storm. This higher toll was the consequence of the much harsher weather conditions during and after the ice storm.
Nonetheless, a significant proportion of the ice storm casualties were entirely prevent- able, notably the approximately 10 deaths and dozens of hospitalizations that were the result of carbon monoxide poisoning. Most of these were attributable to the improper use of portable generators, with others due to mis- guided efforts to heat interior spaces. Among the instances noted in news reports were portable generators operated in basements, garages and inside living spaces.
These incidents suggest a substantial short- fall in individual knowledge of emergency pre- paredness and post-disaster safety.
In order to better assess the extent of individ- ual preparedness and potential solutions, the PSC made available on its Web site a survey that allowed respondents to indicate the ex- tent of their disaster preparedness prior to the ice storm, describe the information sources
they relied upon for necessary information and provide comments on their experiences. While this survey did not provide statistically valid information, the 1,262 responses pro- vide useful insights. Of the 1,262 respon- dents:
• 933 said that they DID NOT have a port- able electric generator
• 725 said that they DID NOT have ar- rangements for alternate shelter in the event of a power outage
• 453 said that they DID NOT have emer- gency supplies of food and water
• 162 said that they DID NOT have flash- lights or batteries
• 83 said they DID NOT have any of the above four preparedness options in place at the time of the ice storm
Disaster preparedness has been a point of emphasis for state government, local emer- gency preparedness agencies and utilities for a number of years, with that emphasis in- creasing following the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and the 2005 hurricane sea- son. Nevertheless, it appears that a substan- tial proportion of Kentucky residents remain under-prepared for extended power outages. Furthermore, there appears to be a lack of understanding of some basic safety precau- tions, although other often-repeated safety instructions appear to be general knowledge. For example, the lack of deaths or injuries due to contacts with downed power lines sug- gests that most people are well aware of the need to avoid any fallen lines.
Other points of emphasis appear to have been less effective. Particularly troubling dur- ing the ice storm were the ongoing incidents of carbon monoxide poisoning despite contin- ued warnings by public officials and the news media about the dangers of improper use of portable generators and heaters.
Another point of misunderstanding appears to be the functionality of landline telephones in a power outage. Landline phone service often
continues uninterrupted even when lines have fallen. However, many customers do not appear to understand that portable handsets – unlike phones that plug directly into the wall connection - will cease to function when their batteries lose power, despite the fact that the base unit is plugged into a wall connection. Similarly, phone-over-cable landlines also rely on on back-up battery power in the mo- dem and have a limited lifespan during a power outage. Thus, simply having a landline phone is no guarantee of service continuity. There also remains ongoing confusion about who to call to report outages and downed lines. Emergency officials and utility compa- nies continually emphasize that the 911 num- ber should be used only in cases of true emergency. Outages should be reported to the service provider, as should downed lines, unless those lines pose a threat to public health or safety – for example, if they are sparking or obstructing a road.
Nonetheless, Inter-County Energy noted that 911 lines in its service territory often are over- whelmed by non-emergency calls, many of them apparently from callers reporting loss of power or downed lines. The utility reported that it communicates with local emergency service dispatchers by fax in order to avoid using voice lines into the local 911 call cen- ters.
The PSC recognizes that most electric utili- ties provide safety and emergency prepared- ness information to their customers on an on- going basis through Web sites, bill inserts, public service announcements and other means. The PSC also recognizes that these messages receive additional emphasis during outages and other emergencies. Finally, the PSC shares in the frustration of utilities and emergency management officials that these messages all too often go unheeded. The Commission encourages utilities and state and local officials to continue to provide emergency preparedness information to the public and to seek out more effective ways to
do so. However, the Commission also be- lieves that emergency preparedness is a re- sponsibility shared by individual Kentuckians.
The Commission urges all Kentucky resi- dents to take the following measures to better prepare themselves for extreme weather events and other emergencies that may lead to extended power outages:
• Maintain a supply of flashlights and batteries.
• Keep several days worth of potable water and non-perishable food on hand.
• Users of portable generators and heating devices must be thoroughly familiar with the rules for their safe operation.
• Residents should have a contingency plan for seeking alternate shelter.
• Customers should familiarize them- selves with the procedures their utili- ties use for reporting outages and downed lines and should know how the utility provides information on restoration efforts.
• Households should have a means of maintaining telecommunication ser- vice. This can be a traditional land- line phone that plugs directly into the wall or a wireless phone or other de- vice that can be charged from a vehi- cle battery if necessary.
• Every household should have a bat- tery-operated radio, preferably one that is capable of automatically re- ceiving area-specific emergency weather alerts.
As noted above, utilities reported that radio was their most effective means of providing information to the general public. This was reinforced by the PSC’s online survey. Local radio stations were mentioned most often as the source of reliable and timely information related to the ice storm.
The PSC’s public information efforts during the two storms spanned all media. The PSC issued press releases on the progress of res-
toration efforts, on safety measures and on customer responsibility for repairs to electric service entrances. The PSC’s public informa- tion officer responded to numerous inquiries from local, state and national media and was available to news media on a 24/7 basis throughout both events.
However, the PSC notes that one important communication tool was no longer available. Through 2007, the PSC had an ongoing con- tract with the Kentucky Broadcasters Asso- ciation (KBA) for radio public service an- nouncements through the Public Education Partnership (PEP) program. The PSC paid an annual fee to the KBA and, in return, received air time on KBA member stations across Ken- tucky. The contract carried a guarantee of air time valued at five times the amount of the flat fee; more typically the value-to-fee ratio was seven or eight to one.
The PSC used the service to air announce- ments on issues of interest to the general public such as natural gas prices, deceptive marketing practices in the telecommunication industry and the Kentucky call-before-you-dig
program. Messages could be added or dis- continued as communication needs changed. Due to state budgetary constraints, the PSC was forced to discontinue its participation in the program in 2008.
Had it remained available, the KBA PEP pro- gram could have been a valuable communi- cation tool during both the wind storm and ice storm. With the computer software currently available to the PSC and the e-mail distribu- tion of sound files, it is possible to record, dis- seminate and air statewide a new radio public service announcement within a few hours. This would provide a rapid response capabil- ity to emerging issues during emergency situations. For example, when portable gen- erator safety issues emerged during the ice storm, it would have been possible to record a message regarding proper operation and have it on the air across Kentucky within less than 24 hours.
The Commission recommends that high priority be given to the restoration of full funding for its participation in the KBA PEP program as soon as possible.
Accumulated Depreciation Restoration Costs: the costs of removing existing facilities dam-
aged or destroyed in a major weather event or other disaster event.
AEP: American Electric Power, the parent corporation of Kentucky Power Company.
Affiliate: An entity which is directly or indirectly owned, operated, or controlled by another en-
tity.
ANSI: the American National Standards Institute.
AWPA: the American Wood Protection Association.
Avoided costs: Incremental cost to an electric utility of electric energy or capacity or both, if
not for the qualifying facility, the utility would generate itself or purchase from another source.
Basis points: a measure of return on investment in which one point equates to one hundredth
of a percent, such that 25 basis points represents 0.25 percent, or 200 basis points represents 2.0 percent.
Big Rivers (BREC): Big Rivers Electric Corporation, a generation and transmission electric
cooperative which is owned by and serves 3 distribution cooperatives in western Kentucky.
Big Sandy RECC: Big Sandy Rural Electric Cooperative Corporation.
Bird Dog: a person assigned by a utility to guide restoration crews in the field, pointing out util-
ity facilities, hazardous terrain, and providing other necessary information about the utility’s system that outside utility crews may not have readily available.
Blue Grass Energy: Blue Grass Energy Cooperative.
Boil Water Advisory: a warning issued by a drinking water utility informing consumers that the
water provided by the utility may be unsafe to consume and may cause adverse human health effects due to possible biological contamination.
Capitalized Restoration Costs: generally, the costs of installing new facilities to replace dam-
aged facilities.
Carbon Monoxide Poisoning: potentially deadly poisoning caused by inhalation of carbon
monoxide (CO) gas. CO is produced by the combustion of carbon-containing substances, such as the combustion of gasoline or diesel fuel in a portable generator—a cause of several accidental deaths during the 2009 ice storm.
CCA: chromated copper arsenate—a wood preservative used to treat utility poles to guard
against decay, fungi, bacteria, insects, and marine borers.