Gov. Andy Beshear has confirmed that three people died from the winter storms that hit Kentucky Thursday night into Friday.
He confirmed two deaths in a weather update from the statehouse on Friday morning — one person from a car wreck in Western Kentucky and one from insecure housing in Louisville. The third he Tweeted about after the press conference where one person passed due to a car accident.
Beshear urged Kentuckians to stay inside on Friday.
“It is too dangerous to be outside today,” Beshear said,
For some, staying inside might be difficult, with 24,074 without power. He told those without power to move to a warming center near their home.
“So if you lose power and get to an unsafe situation, make sure you know where your warming center is in your county,” Beshear said. “Stay with family and friends but be very careful when you are driving to those locations.”
In Boone County, First Church of Christ and St. Timothy Church are the warming center locations; residents are asked to call 859-371-1234 if they need to utilize that service.
In Campbell County, the warming center is at Holy Spirit Parish Center at 827 Saratoga St. in Newport. Call 859-479-4773 at all hours if needed.
Kenton County has several locations. Click here for a list of where they are located.
Safety is also an issue for those having to drive, as there are a number of traffic backups.
“The fact that we have gusty winds 40 to 50 miles an hour can create blizzard-like conditions very quickly in different places and are leading to accidents,” Beshear said.
He specifically asked commuters to avoid I-71 in Gallatin County between Louisville and Northern Kentucky, where a multi-vehicle crash shut down the interstate to traffic north and southbound.