Farmers RECC crews are working to restore service to members following a destructive winter storm that swept through the area, toppling trees and taking down power lines.  

The cooperative currently has 6,200 members without power. Crews are working hard today, but restoration is going slowly as crews find more broken poles and damaged equipment. Additional precipitation, combined with cold temperatures, are also increasing outage numbers, even as crews restore service to portions of our service territory.  

“Restoring power after a major outage is an enormous undertaking that involves much more than simply throwing a switch or removing a tree from a line,” said Toby Moss, Farmers RECC President and CEO.  

Any ice over 1/4” on distribution lines significantly increases the possibility of failure. The combination of additional weight, blowout from wind, and jumping when the ice falls from the line can cause lines to break and poles to snap. These hazards are also combined with sagging and jumping tree limbs. 

“We will restore service to everyone as soon as possible,” he said. “We prioritize by making repairs that will restore power to the most members at one time. Unfortunately, due to the nature of this storm and the difficult conditions, we anticipate this will be a multi-day restoration.” 

Members who have electricity dependent medical or other equipment may want to make alternate plans.  

How power is restored 

• Transmission lines that bring electricity from regional generation plants operated by East Kentucky Power Cooperative must first be checked and repaired, if needed.   

• From there, Farmers RECC crews take over, first assessing any damage to the co-op’s 18 distribution substations that serve thousands of member’s homes and businesses. 

• Next, repairs are performed on distribution lines, which move electricity over miles of power lines to reach all parts of Farmers RECC’s service territory. “If these lines are down, individual homes can’t get power,” Moss said. 

• Co-op crews then inspect and repair the supply lines that deliver power to transformers, either mounted on poles or placed on pads for underground service, outside homes, businesses and institutions like schools.  

• The final priority is fixing individual service lines that carry electricity to the meters of homes and buildings. “If your home remains without power after neighbors’ lights come on, it could mean there’s damage to your individual service line,” Moss advised. Call Farmers RECC at 270-651-2191 to report the problem. Co-op members may be responsible for engaging an electrician to make repairs to some equipment on their home or building. 

Those experiencing a power outage are reminded to turn off or unplug all electric equipment and appliances to prevent excessive load on power lines when they are reenergized. Gradually restart necessary appliances over a period of 30 minutes after power is restored for several minutes. 

Farmers RECC members can report power outages via our Mobile App, our Member Center or by calling us at 270-651-2191.  

Real-time outage reports are available at the co-op’s Outage Center. Updates will also be available on the co-op’s social media channels, website and local media.  

We remain optimistic that we will make a significant reduction in the number of outages today. For those of you still without power, hang in there with us. We appreciate your patience and prayers!