MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Memphis Light, Gas and Water said it could be midnight Friday before power is restored to more than 3,000 customers left in the dark following Thursday’s ice storm.
About 10,000 customers were left without power at the height of the outage Thursday.
Ice brought down power lines and poles across Memphis, creating the outages.
That includes parts of an East Memphis neighborhood near Quince and White Station Road, where the power went out around 7:30 Thursday morning. As of 5:30 Thursday evening, the power was still out on a stretch of Wilbec Road.
Related: Power coming back on across Arkansas, Tennessee and Mississippi after ice storm
WREG spoke with Gene and Susan Williams, a couple in their 70s, who were toughing out Thursday evening without heat. They were doing their best to keep warm by wrapping themselves in blankets while making plans to potentially stay with their daughter.
“Probably hit a hotel tonight and then go over to her house tomorrow or so [if the power stays out],” Gene Williams said.
There was more than warmth at stake for Susan Williams.
“I have sleep apnea, and I have a breathing machine, and I don’t want to sleep all night without my machine, because I can die,” she said, “I mean, you know, it’s dangerous.”
As of 7:30 Thursday night, more than 4,000 people were without power in Memphis. Thursday’s outage on Wilbec affected roughly 50 homeowners, including Dale Graves who, thankfully, has a generator.
“I’ve been through it before and everything,” he said.
You can click here to view the latest outages in Memphis.
The utility company also says hundreds of workers are on standby to deal with additional outages that may pop up as freezing temperatures are expected to continue into next week.
