LEXINGTON, Ky. (LEX 18)– It has been 16 years since an ice storm left much of Lexington in the dark.
On this day in 2003, the city was on day one of an ice storm that left many without power for over a week. The phones were ringing off the hook at WVLK.
Dave Krusenklaus, known as “Kruser” to listeners, put in overtime when the ice storm hit. He’s the program director at WVLK and says that he took calls from many people who needed to vent.
“We were a lifeline to a lot of people that it was the only source of information that they had,” said Krusenklaus. “By the time you go to the end of that eight-day period, the people who still did not have power, they were calling in. Now they were angry.”
The storm was overwhelming for emergency management.
“It was huge and it was a big undertaking, so I think that’s what made it last so long,” said Patricia Dugger, the Director of Emergency Management.
Dugger sais that lessons were learned and that if a storm like that came through, there wouldn’t be as much damage and the power would be restored faster.
She said that everyone can prepare for a storm like that by having an emergency kit in their home. You can learn more here.
