/ WSIP AM 1490 | CBS Sports
Feb 16, 2021 11:53 PM
Big Sandy RECC lineman inspects downed tree and power lines in the Oil Springs/Picklefork area of Johnson County, Kentucky.
Photo: Big Sandy RECC
A cascade of downed electric lines and snapped utility poles Monday evening fueled a wave of power outages, primarily in southeastern and eastern Kentucky, when a second winter storm in less than a week tacked on another layer of crippling ice.
Electric cooperatives report multiple broken poles as co-op crews work to restore power to the more than 100,000 co-op consumer-members who lost service because of the ice storm. As of 4pm Tuesday, power had been restored to about 20,000 co-op members, as crews work to restore power to the remaining 77,000 members. The scope and comprehensive damage to co-op systems suggests a prolonged outage.