LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The 2009 ice storm left hundreds of thousands in Louisville without power. It is top of mind as people prepare for a possible ice storm Thursday.
And if that happens, are you prepared?
"Generators are always those things, you don't want to have it because you never use till you need it," Doug Carroll at Brownsboro Hardware & Paint said. "But when you need it you got to get it quick."
WHAS11 News contacted hardware stores throughout Louisville and southern Indiana. There were only a handful had generators in stock.
Still, Doug Carroll at Brownsboro Hardware & Paint said, they'll be able to get more in a day's notice
If you're looking for a more permanent generator, be prepared to wait.
"The wait is probably 3 or 4 months," Louisville Generators owner Hobert McGuire said. He has a backlog of 25 customers, facing supply issues since the start of the pandemic.
On a larger scale, Electric Co-ops are preparing to make that impact minimal. "We are primed and stocked and ready to go," Joe Arnold with the Kentucky Electric Cooperatives said.
Any time there's ice in the forecast, he said, they're concerned.
The first thing to go would be the power lines, either from fallen trees or ice buildup. Arnold said a half-inch of ice applies can weigh 500-pounds.
"You go from three-quarters to an inch of ice, you're talking catastrophic damage," Arnold said. "That could knock out power for a couple of weeks."
LG&E told WHAS11 News it's too early to tell how they'll prepare but they're monitoring the forecast, which we all hope is nothing like 2009.
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