Northern Kentucky's power grid is nearly whole again. Duke Energy reported that only 6,376 customers in the region remained without electricity as of 4 p.m. Aug. 13, three days after a confirmed derecho tore through the area and knocked out service to more than 261,000 customers across Greater Cincinnati.

The utility has now restored 36,235 outages in Northern Kentucky alone and roughly 223,000 region-wide since the Aug. 11 storm, which the Storm Prediction Center confirmed as a derecho with a peak wind gust of 99 mph recorded in Gary, Indiana.

Duke Energy said nearly all customers who can safely receive power would have service back by the end of Thursday. As of about 6:30 a.m. Aug. 14, WLWT reported about 11,000 customers remained without power across the broader Greater Cincinnati region.

$100,000 in emergency grants

The Duke Energy Foundation committed $100,000 in emergency grants to three organizations supporting storm relief, according to NKY Tribune:

  • $75,000 to Freestore Foodbank for food, water and necessities
  • $15,000 to American Red Cross for shelter operations and disaster recovery
  • $10,000 to Matthew 25: Ministries for disaster relief supplies, hygiene kits, cleaning products and recovery materials

More than 2,000 workers deployed

Duke Energy brought in more than 2,000 lineworkers, tree trimmers and other storm workers, including crews from Indiana and the Carolinas, to restore power across the region. Crews staged at Tri-County Mall in Springdale, Ohio, where trucks lined up for dispatch.

Storm director Andy Cassidy said Thursday that crews had "made substantial progress restoring power across the region, but there is still important work to do." He asked customers to stay away from active work zones so workers can focus on restoration safely.

On Aug. 13, as we reported that day, Cassidy said the utility was pulling in more than 1,000 additional workers and beginning to provide estimated restoration times on Duke Energy's outage map.

Fort Wright cleanup continues

In Fort Wright, city crews have been clearing streets, rights-of-way and public properties since the storm hit. As of Wednesday, Aug. 12, three streets remained closed due to downed trees and electrical wires: Vidot Court, W. Crittenden and Battery Hooper Park. The city has not issued a public update on whether those closures have been lifted.

The city said Aug. 12 that cleanup "will take time" and that crews were prioritizing locations based on public safety. We reported on those closures Wednesday.

What residents should know

  • Treat intersections with nonworking traffic signals as four-way stops.
  • Move over for first responders and utility trucks.
  • Stay away from downed or sagging power lines and do not attempt to remove trees or limbs touching them.
  • Report outages by calling 800-543-5599 or texting "OUT" to 57801. Sign up for outage alerts by texting "REG" to 57801.
  • Fort Wright residents with non-emergency needs can call the city at 859-331-1700.
  • Check Duke Energy's outage map at outagemaps.duke-energy.com for estimated restoration times.