MOUNT VERNON, Ohio — The folks in Mount Vernon off of West High Street have been out of power for over two days and many say they are facing major health and financial concerns.
“If I sleep then what if she has an asthma attack? and I can't get to her in time?” says Mount Vernon resident, Melissa Vance. “So I stay awake and I fan her and make sure she's cooled off.”
Vance says one of her children, Savannah, has bad asthma and that she needs a breathing machine when she has an attack – one that is not available without her electricity.
Vance says she’s also worried about cellular devices and not having the ability to call for help.
“I can't even charge my phones, my main phone is completely dead, and my government phone I got for my son is on 20%,” says Vance.
Like many families, Vance says because she cannot leave her dog in her overheated house, she can’t take her kids to an air-conditioned public place like a library.
Arlene Hess who is the children’s grandmother and lives downstairs says she’s worried about trying to breathe with her lung condition but is also worried about spoiled food.
“We're losing all of our food. My freezer's full of meat, and I'm going to have to throw it out. And I ain't got no money to buy anymore,” says Hess.
Sammy Harb, the owner of Bullock’s Deli and Grocery down the street says his store has been closed for two days, and he’s already lost $1,500 of food.
“Everything actually went spoiled I'd say yesterday in the morning,” says Harb. “We actually had to throw everything out from meat, cheese, so on, whatever.”
Harb brought in an electric generator so he can keep his drive-thru alive, but says he’s not going to be able to restock his store until next week.
“We still gotta pay rent, pay electric, wages,” says Harb.
Families say they are concerned this could become a food crisis between the “haves” and “have nots.”
“Not everyone has the money to replace food like that, and I've got three kids, I'm a single mom, I have three kids I've gotta support,” Vance says.