BATON ROUGE, La. (BRPROUD) — Across Livingston Parish, timelines that were given to customers about their power restoration seem to have run behind, but energy companies said they are working to get communities running once again.
On Old River Road in Denham Springs barricades have been placed where power lines were knocked down. This has contributed to power outages in this community.
For many residents, this was day four without electricity or heat.
Many were left in the cold and dark for what to them felt like forever.
Livingston Parish resident Keri Kraemer said, “I’m just waiting, it’s kinda like a waiting game to see if I have electricity on today, tomorrow, or Saturday, or next week.”
There were many downed trees and power lines that slowed the progress of power restoration throughout the area.
Livingston Parish resident Amanda Resendiz said, “I actually called DEMCO for the 50th time last night, and I actually talked to someone who would give me a little bit of information, and even they were surprised we were still without lights.”
Some have found innovative ways to maintain everyday life through these difficult times.
“My husband’s like I gotta get up, I gotta get moving, we gotta do something, so he started cooking on the grill, said Kraemer.”
If losing electricity wasn’t enough some residents of Livingston Parish were also dealing with pipe issues.
Amanda Resendiz said, “It’s hard, you know at least we were being able to have a little bit of bath/ bathe sometimes, at least running water, and now we don’t”
Meanwhile, Livingston Parish Schools have reopened, leaving many students absent.
“I just think it’s too soon for people that have no power. I mean we can give them hot food here, ya know, what if kids don’t have clothes to wash and wear to school,” said Kraemer.
You know, the kids went to school today, but here we didn’t send any of our kids because I don’t think they will be able to concentrate at school,” expressed Resendiz.
Workers have been spotted all around Livingston Parish in an effort to get resident’s electricity working again.
The Livingston Parish Office of Homeland Security said they recognize that some people still don’t have electricity however numbers without it are steadily decreasing and energy companies are making progress.
Resendiz said, “We’re thankful that they are doing what they are doing, we just hoping that we hopefully will be a part of the lights on crewe soon.”
To assist in this process, some energy companies have asked customers who have lost power to unplug electric heating and appliances, and after power is restored, to gradually turn them back on to avoid system damage.
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