LEXINGTON, Ky. (WKYT) – Overnight storms have caused thousands of homes across the Commonwealth to lose power.

As of 6 a.m. on Tuesday, April 28, over 22,000 people are without power, with over 1,000 outages being in Fayette County, according to the Kentucky Power Outage map.

Most outages are in Jefferson, Shelby and Oldham counties.

The storms have also caused damage in multiple areas, including Frankfort and Midway. Midway University reportedly lost power for several hours, according to a student at the college.

Over 1,000 people are without power in Woodford County, and the county said road crews are responding to downed trees impacting power lines and roadways.

According to Midway Mayor Grayson Vandegrift, Midway Christian Church at 123 East Bruen Street has power and is open to the public for coffee and charging phones.

Severe storm safety

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests those staying indoors during lightening storms to avoid water, windows, doors, porches and concrete, and to not touch electric equipment or use corded phones.

For those outside, the CDC recommends checking the forecast, watching for distant storm activity and avoiding open spaces, vehicles and structures.

The CDC also said people should remember the phrase “When thunder roars, go indoors.”

Debris pickup

The Kentucky Division of Compliance Assistance said recycling by chipping or shredding woody and vegetative waste is encouraged. If recycling is not possible, residents can contact their local solid waste coordinator for disposal options.

Refrigerators, stoves, water heaters, AC units, washers and dryers may also be recycled, according to the division.

All garbage and residential waste must go to a contained landfill, and the division said residents could contact their county to see if it will have a special household hazardous waste collection.

All paint and liquid waste must be disposed of in solid form, which the division said could b done by adding an absorbent, such as cat litter.

The Kentucky Division of Compliance Assistance said all storm-related construction/demolition debris should be treated as potentially asbestos contaminated material and maintained in a wet condition from demolition to final disposal.