Day 3 Without Power: Delaware County Residents Lean On Each Other As Outages Continue

By Diana Rocco

WAYNE, Pa., (CBS) -- Many still without power Friday night are understandably weary -- they just want things to get back to normal.

In Wayne, Delaware County people are leaning on each other in these trying times.

Just a few hours ago, the lights came back on at a lot of the businesses here in Wayne that have been without power and closed for the last three days.  Tonight, that has given many hope the end is near.

In Wayne stores and restaurants which would normally be buzzing are dark.  Traffic lights are still out on Valley Forge Road forcing drivers to take it slow.  For many here it's been three days with no heat and no relief.

"It's been cold and I've been staying in my house, it's 45 degrees," Loretta McElroy said.

"You don't know what to do with yourself, you don't know what to take care of," Nancy Gregory said.

The Devon Whole Foods has been running on a back-up generator to power the store.  Friday it looked more like your neighborhood tavern as they offered a free warm meal.  For the powerless and cold, it was a place to warm up and charge cell phones.

"There's a hotel across street that has been housing a lot of people that are without power because their homes are so cold and they've been sending them over here," Alex Boardman of Whole Foods said.

Roads are still closed in parts of Delaware County and Chester County, like here on Radnor Street Road on the Treddyfrin line.

In many neighborhoods some homes have power but next door - darkness. Peter Burns has been dropping off fire wood for the Cook family who've been roughing it since Wednesday morning.

"They're getting their fireplaces as hot as they can it's tough," Burns said.

"We've been trying to keep the house warm but I don't think it helps," Dave Cook said.

Dave and Wendy Cook spent one night in a hotel and they've been running a generator for light hoping pipes don't freeze all while trying to entertaining three boys and a five-month-old.

"It will be nice when power comes back and we get our life back to normal," Wendy said.

This area really is touch and go. Some have power back, some are being told it's just a few hours, while others are hearing it could be as late as Sunday.  So for those few, it is still a very long weekend ahead.

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