It has been a long, cold winter for some local residents.
Need is up 50 percent this year for Lake Cumberland Community Action's Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program's crisis component.
The crisis part of the program, which began Jan. 4, helps people who have received an electricity/natural gas disconnect notice or who are within four days of running out of coal, fuel oil, propane, kerosene, wood or coal.
So far this year, there have been 712 applications approved for a total of $135,367 in aid, according to LeAnne Sutton, outreach specialist.