Hurricane Ike Hits Louisville KY
Website design By BotEap.comAfter sweeping through the great state of Texas and then making its way through surrounding Louisiana, Hurricane Ike has wreaked more havoc than any other hurricane to make landfall in the United States. On Sunday, September 14, the first day of power shutoff in Louisville, KY, many residents were forced to relive the days when electricity and transportation were in the early stages of life. Gasoline prices rose from $3.60 a gallon to $4.15 a gallon overnight, and fuel shortages caused chaos at every station that had electricity. Cell phone usage was at an all time high, when the system was not jammed and calls could be completed.
Website design By BotEap.comEveryone believed the power would be back on soon as 75 mph Category 1 hurricane winds tore through Louisville International Airport. The local gas and electric company, LG&E, has said it will take 10-14 days before they can restore power to everyone affected. State Governor Steve Beshear has spoken out in favor of a reformulated gasoline pardon valid until September 30 to bring in gasoline that isn’t necessarily up to air standards. This would bring relief to the thousands without fuel who continue up and down the streets in search of the last available drops.
Website design By BotEap.comLouisville Mayor Jerry Abramson teamed up with Steve Beshear to bring in the Kentucky National Guard to help with cleanup and assist the public at stoplights in congested areas. At the start of the blackout, more than 80% of the state was without power. Right now, the number is down to fewer than 129,000 homes that are still dark. LG&E has workers from Indiana, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and some surrounding states assisting local workers 24 hours a day to restore service to as many as possible.
Website design By BotEap.comDare to Care food pantries have opened in many parts of the city, and the Red Cross has prepared meals on wheels for residents without power. Due to the extended outage that is now in its sixth day, most have lost all refrigerated food and must rely on outside sources for food. Dare to Care delivers 2 grocery bags of dry goods to residents in exchange for their name and household number. Those in the food stamp program can now go to the L&N building to request a replacement amount equal to the cost of the food they lost due to the outage.
Website design By BotEap.comWith gas and groceries closed, the economy in Louisville is stagnant. Public schools closed for an entire week and the nation’s largest carrier, UPS, canceled some of its shifts. Shively, PRP, Downtown and East End are the most affected by this natural disaster. So far there are 2 deaths related to this storm, a young child struck by a tree limb and a woman using a generator inside her home died of carbon monoxide poisoning. Worse storms have been recorded in Louisville, but no major damage is known on record for such a large area.