Power outages linger several days after severe weather in Philadelphia region
COATESVILLE, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- More than 1,700 PECO customers in the Delaware Valley were still without power Friday night after severe weather earlier in the week.
PECO told Action News it expects to have nearly all customers restored by the end of the day Friday, with a handful of customers being restored Saturday.
PECO said its crews were managing "major tree and infrastructure damage" following two rounds of severe weather on Tuesday and Wednesday nights that brought damaging winds and heavy rain.
The weather led to power problems throughout the region, especially in Chester County.
READ MORE: Historic black oak tree falls in Chester County during storm
In Coatesville, some people remained without power on Friday night. Action News spoke with Sandy Brickus as she braced for her fourth night in the dark.
"It's a lot of elderly people out here and they (utility crews) are doing nothing," Brickus said.
Brickus, who lives on Carver Court, also lost power. She told Action News she is frustrated because the estimated time of restoration has been pushed back several times.
Pamela Depte told Action News her 95-year-old mother also lives on Carver Court. She has been trying to keep her safe in this heat.
"Most of the time I was fanning her, trying to keep the doors open, using battery-operated flashlights at night, Depte said.
Less than a mile from her mother's home, Depte said power at her own home was restored on Thursday night.
While she was relieved about the restoration, Depte said she is still concerned about the reason for her outage - power lines that are surrounded by large trees behind her neighbors' homes.
"This is really a bad thing," Depte said. "They (crews) couldn't even get to the snapped telephone poles because of the overgrowth. This community has been here for over 150 years. Some of those trees are 150 years old."
In Montgomery County, most PECO customers had their power restored by Friday.
One of the customers still in the dark was Creed's Seafood and Steaks off Gulph Road in King of Prussia.
"It's been a nightmare to be honest with you," owner Jim Creed said.
Creed said his restaurant lost power during Tuesday night's storm because of damage to a transformer in the parking lot.
By Friday afternoon, the restaurant remained in the dark.
Creed said they were forced to throw out all their food.
He expressed concern for his staff who had been without work for several days.
"For servers, bartenders and the bus people, they live on tips," Creed explained. "So when we're not open, they don't make any money."
Power was restored to the restaurant on Friday night. Creed said they will be able to reopen their bar on Saturday and reopen fully for dinner on Monday.
