LOUISVILLE, Ky. — After Hurricane Ida knocked out power for close to 1 million buildings in southeastern Louisiana, a group of LG&E and KU line technicians is heading south to help those impacted.
LG&E said 119 company and contract full-time workers are going to help Louisiana's Cleco with restoration efforts.
"Our support is part of our larger nationwide mutual assistance partnerships, in which a collection of utilities assist other utilities in times of natural disasters and crisis situations," the company said on social media. "We’re proud to provide support to Cleco, and others when possible, in their time of need."
Cleco serves approximately 290,000 customers in Louisiana. Many of the company's outages are in the St. Tammany Parish, a parish included in the New Orleans-Metairie metropolitan area.
New Orleans affiliate WWL-TV reported a major transmission tower that powers the greater area was knocked into the river, impacting all eight of Orleans' transmission lines.
Entergy, another gas and electric provider in New Orleans, said it could take at least three weeks to fully restore power in the area.
LG&E said it is "fully prepared" to handle any issues as Ida's remnants arrive in the Ohio Valley. Rain is expected to spread across the area after dark Monday. Flash flooding will be a concern, especially in central Kentucky. Models indicate widespread totals over 2 inches will be possible by early Wednesday morning.
Kentucky Red Cross said it has sent nine workers to Louisiana, two of whom from the Louisville area, with plans for more in the coming days.
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