LG&E shares best safety practices during potential power outages

LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WAVE) — LG&E says they’re prepared for the worst as winter weather moves in over the weekend, aiming to give their customers peace of mind.

“Snow, we can handle pretty well. But when it comes to winter weather, it’s wind and freezing rain and ice that really have the biggest impacts on our system,” said Drew Gardner, LG&E spokesperson.

The company says they have more than a thousand personnel ready this weekend for emergency maintenance and repairs.

If you do experience a power outage, LG&E asks that you report it through their website. They ask that customers exercise patience, as some areas might be harder to get to in the case of extreme weather.

If your power goes out, Gardner recommends preparing with “heavy blankets, heavy clothing, ways that you can stay warm if you’re without power.”

In addition to keeping your surroundings warm, you’ll want to keep the food in your refrigerator and freezer cold, and that starts with keeping the door closed.

The Kentucky Association for Food Protection says taking these steps delays the food from getting into what they call the “temperature danger zone,” where bacteria can grow.

“For food safety, it’s very important to keep your cold foods below 40 degrees at all times. The best way to do that is with a food thermometer,” said Sharon Humphries, President of the Kentucky Association for Food Protection.

While it’s not a best practice, Humphries says it is safe to move perishable food outside as a last resort to keep it cold, as long as you follow a few rules.

“You need to store the items in a secure, clean, food-safe cooler and put that cooler somewhere in the shade because sun can also warm the temperatures even though it’s minus 10 outside. So your food temps would still need to be monitored when they’re in that,” Humphries said.

And if you think something has gone bad, don’t take any risks.

“When in doubt, throw it out and do not taste foods to determine if it’s safe,” Humphries said. “If it is bad and you taste it, you’ve now eaten food that bacteria could have grown in.”

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