Gov. Beshear on Kentucky Snow Storm: ‘The Best Thing People Can Do Is Stay Home, Stay Safe’

EXCERPT:

BESHEAR: "We are in the midst of a very significant winter weather event. We've had 6 to 8 inches of snow followed by really at least half an inch of ice across most of Kentucky, more than was originally expected. A half an inch of ice can bring down tree limbs, can bring down power lines. We've got about 100,000 people without power right now. And even though some of the roads may look good when you look at them, because we have had 2300 transportation cabinet workers out trying to clear them, that level of ice means almost every single road is icy. We need as much of the roads as we can today, both to treat them and for the utility folks, because it's going to get dangerously cold starting tomorrow. We've got wind gusts that can make fixing the utility lines dangerous, so we have really got one day to try to get power back to as many Kentuckians as possible before the wind chill gets down close to zero. So, we have got a lot of work to do. But the good news is, we have no major injuries thus far. We haven’t had any reports that we have lost anybody thus far. For a state that's been through our worst tornadoes and flooding and polar plunges and some more tornadoes in the last five years, we were ready for this. So, thanks to your meteorologists and a lot of others, we had a lot of prep time. But still, a lot of work to do, and the best thing people can do is stay home, stay safe. Remember, those folks out treating the roads or repairing utility lines, those are Americans, too. They leave their families to protect ours, to try to get everything back up and running, and we gotta look out for their safety, too."