Durham residents without power for 20 hours

Saturday, June 30, 2012

Tags:

durham county, duke energy, local/state, steve dorsey

DURHAM (WTVD) -- Residents at Oxford Manor in Durham were without power from Friday night's storms until just before 6 p.m. Saturday.

When ABC11 contacted Duke Energy, a spokesperson said extra crews were working to restore power to the low-income housing neighborhood. However, the company did not offer any cooling stations for the nearly 300 customers affected.

A spokesperson for the city of Durham said they were unable to offer help and suggested residents ride the bus to a cooler place, such as a library or a mall.

Durham Mayor Bill Bell stopped by the apartments and spoke to those left in the dark. He told ABC11 that the situation is not acceptable and is investigating the Durham Housing Authority's response.

"I've spoken to the director and he's aware of some of these things. I'm sure once he hears, he's going to find a way to put something in place to correct it," Bell said.

The Durham Housing Authority manages the complex.

Residents said they were unable to get any help from the agency or social services while they were without power.

Over the 20-hour period, many residents said the food in their refrigerators spoiled and they relied on water that local churches brought to the complex.