Wednesday marked the fifth day without electricity for thousands of Washington County residents, with the situation only worsened by the fact that temperatures continued in the upper 90s.
Those without power Wednesday included folks who live in the rural areas of New Matamoras and Newport in eastern Washington County.
For those who already have health problems the situation is dire.
Article Photos
Grandview Volunteer Fire Department member John Berentz hands a bag of ice to New Matamoras resident Misty Little outside the fire department in New Matamoras Wednesday. Folks in that area who still don’t have power today can get free ice and water at the fire department.
ASHLEY
RITTENHOUSE
The Marietta Times
"I've got breathing problems and I'm supposed to take three breathing treatments a day but I can't because of no electric and it's rough," said Mike Moore, 56, a resident of Pam Road in New Matamoras. "The night before last I slept outside in a porch swing. It's just unbearable in that house."
Storms Friday evening left thousands of Washington County residents in the dark and while power has been restored to many there were still several thousand without power Wednesday.
As of late Wednesday afternoon there were still 7,151 AEP Ohio customers in Washington County without power. There were 2,009 Washington Electric Cooperative customers in Washington County without power late Wednesday afternoon.
Fact Box
At a glance
As of late Wednesday afternoon there were 7,151 AEP Ohio customers in Washington County and 2,009 Washington Electric Cooperative customers in Washington County without power. That is down from the 10,408 AEP Ohio customers in Washington County that were without power Tuesday. The Washington Electric Cooperative restored power to 1,000 of its customers Wednesday in its entire service area.
While power is expected to be restored for the majority of Washington County's AEP Ohio customers by midnight Friday, Washington Electric Cooperative customers in the county could be in the dark until late Monday.
Those still without electricity Thursday can get free ice and water at the Grandview Volunteer Fire Department in New Matamoras from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., the Little Hocking Volunteer Fire Department from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. or the Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross, 401 Fourth St., Marietta, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
While power is expected to be restored for the majority of Washington County's AEP Ohio customers by midnight Friday, Washington Electric Cooperative customers in the county could be in the dark until late Monday.
Tammy Hoff, who lives on Moss Run Road in Marietta, is among the Washington Electric Cooperative customers who still didn't have power Wednesday.
"The heat gets to you, it takes everything out of you," Hoff said. "We just try to keep the curtains closed."
Hoff works at The Jug in Newport which will reopen today with its regular operating hours of 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. after having been closed since Friday evening.
Manager Bobbi Pritchett said power was restored there Tuesday.
"We had a double order come in because of the holiday. I've lost everything," she said. "No one has lost their life and no one's house burnt down so you learn to live with it."
In Marietta, the Cone & Shake on Pike Street re-opened for the first time Tuesday since Friday's storm.
Owners Jeff and Kristina Neader lost all refrigerated food in the outage that followed the storm. The restaurant was closed for the July Fourth holiday but Jeff Neader said they'll be open again today.
He took a philosophical approach to the loss: "It was a chance to clean out everything."
The business' awning over an outdoor eating area collapsed in the storm. Jeff Neader said it will be torn down and replaced soon.
Mary Cramer, of Beavertown, agrees the situation in eastern Washington County could be worse.
"We only have one tree branch down in our yard," said Cramer, 49. "There are people a lot worse off than we are."
Still, she and her husband, John Cramer, have found that the normally simple task of bathing is a challenge without water. The couple said they are on a well but they have a 350-gallon tank that catches rain water so they've been transferring it to a kiddie pool for bathing.
"We have a business in Marietta so we work half the day then come home and turn the generator on because we have two small dogs," Mary Cramer noted.
New Matamoras resident Phyllis Ward, 59, said her neighbor has let her borrow a generator for a few hours each day for the purpose of plugging in her freezer.
"It (not having power) doesn't bother me that bad except my freezer, I don't want to lose it," Ward said. "I've packed it with as many bags of ice as I can find."
There are a few places people can go today to get ice and water if they still don't have electricity, including the Grandview Volunteer Fire Department in New Matamoras, the Little Hocking Volunteer Fire Department and the Washington County Chapter of the American Red Cross at 401 Fourth St. in Marietta.
Vicki Michalski, a spokeswoman with AEP Ohio, said Wednesday power outages were scattered, with residents in Barlow, Belpre, Lowell, Waterford and other areas still without power.
"They're continually working...so people will see progress," she said.
The Washington Electric Cooperative is also making progress, according to Jennifer Greene, director of marketing and member services.
"We were able to get 1,000 folks back on (Wednesday) and we still have about 3,000 out - that's in our whole service area," she said.
John Berentz, a safety training officer with the Grandview Volunteer Fire Department, said by Tuesday afternoon power was restored to 100 percent of the homes and businesses in the city limits of New Matamoras and power had been restored to 75 percent of those in Beavertown by Wednesday.
"In the (Grandview) Township almost everyone is served by the Washington Electric Cooperative so out in the township they still have no power," he said Wednesday. "We've had several squad runs for heat related (illness)."
