St. Louis Blues

290,000 Homes & Businesses Still In Dark Since July 19th Storm

(CBS)  St. Louis is coming back block by block from the worst blackout the city has ever experienced. Utility workers in this city by the river are trying to fix lines and calm customers.

One resident asked a utility worker: "Your power on yet?"

"I'm working 18, 19 hours a day and coming back and forth and my power's out so I understand," the worker replied.

CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella reports it is the worst power failure in this city's history. Last week's one-two weather punch - storms Wednesday and Friday - knocked out power to half a million customers during a heat wave.

For the hundreds of thousands of people waiting on repairs, food has gone bad and frustration is rising.

What have the past five days without power been like for a resident?

"Miserable. Just miserable," Learon Aaron said. "You can't find no ice, you can't find water, you know, everything is hard to find."

Relief agencies are trying to fill the need, handing out ice and some 90,000 meals.

There has been some progress: nursing homes and hospitals are back on-line.

And the lights are on again in some neighborhoods. But even those who are celebrating wonder why it took so long for help to reach them.

"We read in the paper they're going door to door, I'm like, 'they weren't knocking on our door for four days!'" Sharon Puder said.