LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- For the next three to six months, Kentucky residents living in areas damaged by the recent tornadoes will have to make do with temporary fixes for cellphone service.
According to a news release from the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet and the Kentucky State Police, service providers have completed an "initial round" of temporary cellphone service restoration for areas damaged by the tornadoes.
"The level of cell and data service available today is the best that it can be for the next three to six months," the news release states. "Communication crews from all the major carriers have restored what can be restored and filled in with portable cell towers where practical."
The temporary fixes have been adopted as long-term solutions for damaged cell towers in Graves, Marshall and Muhlenberg counties, according to a report from the cell service towers. These fixes include temporary "Cellular on Wheels" units that have been placed next to damaged towers in Mayfield, Dawson Springs and Benton.
Several damaged towers will have to be replaced before cellular and data signals can return to the levels they were before the tornadoes. Some of these towers, although standing, have cracks, antenna damage or other structural issues.
Full restoration is expected to take months to complete, as it will involve construction of new towers.
Tornadoes killed more than 70 people in Kentucky earlier this month in what the governor has described as the most destructive tornado event in the state’s history.
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