Woodford County declares state of emergency, opens warming centers as outages hit about 500 homes

Woodford County Judge Executive convened a special remote session Jan. 27 to manage a winter-weather state of emergency that unfolded during the meeting, including a major power outage affecting roughly 500 residential structures.

Director Drew Chandler, who led the update for emergency management, said the outage was caused in part by a utility equipment failure and at one point affected about 10% of the county. The county also responded to an earlier fatal residential fire in Versailles; responders and nonprofit partners were assisting displaced residents.

"We've got approximately 500 residential structures currently without power and an undetermined time to restore that power," Director Chandler said. He added that partners including the Salvation Army, Red Cross and the Woodford County Foundation were supporting shelter and supply needs.

The county opened a primary shelter at Falling Springs (275 Beasley Road) and confirmed the Millville Community Center would also operate as a warming center. Judge Executive and Director Chandler provided a non-emergency resource hotline for residents needing transportation or shelter at (859) 753-8228 and emphasized that residents should call 911 for urgent emergencies.

To reduce travel risk, the court approved a motion to delay opening the Woodford County Courthouse and government offices to 11 a.m. on Jan. 28; Chief Circuit Judge Jeremy Maddox retains authority over the court annex schedule. The motion carried unanimously.

Officials also described staffing and logistics steps: EMS staffing was increased, law enforcement and the road department were operating with extended shifts, maintenance crews and community-service workers assisted with infrastructure and snow clearing, and contractors using skid steers were assisting in subdivisions where plows could not penetrate ice.

The fiscal court approved a motion authorizing an email-approval process to pay contractor invoices for recent snow- and ice-removal work that occurred before the meeting, so payment could be processed quickly.

The county asked for community help and prayers and thanked volunteers, maintenance crews, law enforcement, and nonprofits for their rapid response. "The most important thing is to get folks out of the cold for the evening," Judge Executive said. The court kept the hotline and shelter information available as conditions continued to develop.

Next steps: the county will continue shelter operations as needed, coordinate with state warehouses for supplies, and provide updates on power restoration and resource availability.