FAST FACTS:
april.thompson@wreg.com
(Memphis 6/18/2009) Electrical crews from Nashville are busy doing what they have been doing since Saturday, replacing snapped power poles and blown transformers that left several Overton Park homes in the dark for days.
92-year-old Tommie Webb has a generator running two fans, but uses a flashlight for everything else.
"Flashlight to get myself ready for bed and go to bed with the help of a flashlight and I have some more little battery lights," says Webb.
MLGW hopes power will be back to everyone Friday evening.
The cost to make that happen, right now seven million dollars.
MLGW President Jerry Collins is watching it down to the "t".
"One half million dollars or more of overtime, going to be 1.6 million of substation damages, 2.1 million for out of town contractors," says Collins.
Then add tree trimmers, equipment and transportation costs.
Collins says the money wasn't budgeted, he hopes federal funds will kick in.
Regardless, he says you won't feel it in your utility bill, MLGW doesn't plan to increase rates.
It's good news for those in the dark, the only better news if their lights would come on.
"You want what you been use to. But when you don't have, you just have to be grateful and use what you have." says Webb.
As for underground power lines, Jerry Collins says about 37% of MLGW's lines are underground, but he says going to all underground lines would be too costly.
Collins says in the last 20 years MLGW has spent about 100-million dollars on storm recovery.
He says going to all underground lines would cost 3 billion dollars, a high price every customer would feel.
- MLGW says all customers should have power back by Friday evening
- The utility has spent $7 million on recovery from the storm
- The 7 million was not budgeted, but won't mean a rate increase for customers
april.thompson@wreg.com
(Memphis 6/18/2009) Electrical crews from Nashville are busy doing what they have been doing since Saturday, replacing snapped power poles and blown transformers that left several Overton Park homes in the dark for days.
92-year-old Tommie Webb has a generator running two fans, but uses a flashlight for everything else.
"Flashlight to get myself ready for bed and go to bed with the help of a flashlight and I have some more little battery lights," says Webb.
MLGW hopes power will be back to everyone Friday evening.
The cost to make that happen, right now seven million dollars.
MLGW President Jerry Collins is watching it down to the "t".
"One half million dollars or more of overtime, going to be 1.6 million of substation damages, 2.1 million for out of town contractors," says Collins.
Then add tree trimmers, equipment and transportation costs.
Collins says the money wasn't budgeted, he hopes federal funds will kick in.
Regardless, he says you won't feel it in your utility bill, MLGW doesn't plan to increase rates.
It's good news for those in the dark, the only better news if their lights would come on.
"You want what you been use to. But when you don't have, you just have to be grateful and use what you have." says Webb.
As for underground power lines, Jerry Collins says about 37% of MLGW's lines are underground, but he says going to all underground lines would be too costly.
Collins says in the last 20 years MLGW has spent about 100-million dollars on storm recovery.
He says going to all underground lines would cost 3 billion dollars, a high price every customer would feel.
