Kentucky Ice Storm Damage Tops $600 Million

A state official says remnants from a hurricane last fall and a massive ice storm earlier this year caused more than $1.2 billion in damages in Kentucky.

Kentucky Public Service Commission executive director Jeff Derouen says winds from remnants of Hurricane Ike in September 2008 caused about $595 million in reported damages. Derouen says a January ice storm caused at least $616 million.

Derouen says the damages are included in part of an overall report due out later this week.

The January ice storm downed trees and power lines, causing 769,000 power outages. It was blamed for at least 36 deaths.