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BLIZZARD HITS REGION
Crews are hard at work in Carroll and surrounding counties to restore power to thousands left in the cold and dark from this week's snow and ice storms. Carroll County Judge-Executive Harold "Shorty" Tomlinson said Thursday morning (Jan. 29) that the National Guard
Armory on State Hwy. 227 in Carrollton was opened Wednesday night as an emergency shelter for those who need a place to stay overnight or a place to
warm up during the day.
As of Thursday morning, Jan. 29, Owen Electric reports 12,000 customers in Carroll, Owen, Gallatin, Boone, Kenton, Pendleton,
Scott and Campbell counties remain without power, down from 18,000 customers at the peak of this week's ice storm.
Gov. Steve Beshear on Tuesday declared a state of emergency throughout the commonwealth, a move that enables state crews to assist cities and counties coping with power outages and other damage, according to a news release from Beshear's office. Many surrounding counties declared Level 1 and Level 2 emergencies, which means motorists risk being ticketed if caught out on the roads. Carroll County did not issue any such declaration. Tomlinson said Wednesday that he didn't want to hinder anyone who needed to drive to the grocery store or to their jobs, and wouldn't declare an emergency situation "as long as people are taking their time and are able to move. ... If someone needs to go to the grocery store, I don't want to keep them from going." Schools remained closed in the county, and officials ask that anyone driving use extreme caution as cleanup continues. Mitchell Perkins, county deputy director of emergency management, said Wednesday that trees were down countywide, some of which caused the power outages. Residences in the area of English and in the areas of Gilgal Road, Kings Ridge Road and Mound Hill Road were without power Wednesday, as were some residences at Oakwood Estates on Boone Road, Tomlinson said. On Wednesday, Perkins said several vehicles had slipped off the roads in the county, and said a flatbed tractor-trailer overturned on Interstate 71 earlier that morning. "There were no injuries, thank God." Tomlinson said he had not heard of any injuries being reported either. In Carrollton, Perkins said phone and power lines are down all over town, and Kentucky Utilities crews at this point are checking to make sure none of them are live power lines. "KU is so backlogged right now," he said, adding that repairs will come as soon as possible. |

