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Several small dogs started barking when visitors approached the modest house off U.S. Route 52. The lady of the house told them to quiet down and offered a seat on the front porch. She didn’t lead her guests into her house.
“We’ll stay outside. It’s warmer in the sun,” 72-year-old Patricia “Pat” Speaks said.
Speaks is among the many Mercer County residents who have lived without electricity ever since a Sunday snow storm covered southern West Virginia and knocked thousands of people off the power grid. Bundled in a thick robe, a hood and gloves, she sat on her porch as the newest member of her family, Corky, snuggled close by.
She was one of many area residents asking Tuesday when power would be restored. Her well’s water pump and her oil-fired heater won’t work without electricity, so she has depended on a cell phone to help her find out when she can expect to have electricity again. She kept the phone recharged with her truck, but she was also worried about losing the food in her refrigerator. Going to a shelter was not an option because she was worried that somebody could break in while she was away.
“I just don’t understand that problem,” Speaks said, pointing out that the power company has had rate increases. “They’ve gotten three raises.”
In the past, learning when power might be restore was possible, but that has not been the case during this outage, she said.
“It’s the first time it’s happened like this,” Speaks added as Corky sought some attention from her guests. “They could tell us what the problem is.”
And a call to Appalachian Power’s number on her power bill didn’t contribute any information, she said.
“This girl was chewing gum while she’s talking to me on the phone, and she talked to me like it wasn’t a big deal,” Speaks recalled. “And I have a pacemaker.”
For Speaks, staying warm has been a big deal.
“I’ve got three layers of clothes, socks, and I stay in bed most of the time. I’m scared that I might get sick,” she said.
Originally from Coaldale, Speaks worked three different jobs in Maryland before she saved up enough money to return to West Virginia and buy a home in 2000. She now lives on Social Security, and while she has been able to feed her dogs, get them spayed or neutered, and find them homes – Corky was recently dumped outside her house – keeping up with power bills is a challenge.
“My light bill is over $100, and I have those energy-saving light bulbs and everything. I have a pole light, too, and I need it. I have deer and I have bears. Last year, I had a bear here,” she said. “Everything is going up instead of my pay, but I know that a lot of people are in the same situation.”
She petted Corky. “Corky, he’s a good boy. I’m going to try and find him a home when he gets straightened up.”
