[August 31, 2011] Fewer than 1,000 still without power in York County Tweet Aug 31, 2011 (York Daily Record - McClatchy-Tribune Information Services via COMTEX) -- Update, 12:30 p.m. Met-Ed reports 693 customers without power, 239 of which are in York. PPL reports 30. PECO information is not yet available. Update, 8:30 a.m. As of Wednesday morning, area power companies listed the following outage numbers for York County: Met-Ed: 822 -- 283 of which are in the City of York PPL Electric: 27 PECO: An exact number wasn't available, but Cathy Engel Menendez, a spokeswoman for the power provider, said there were scattered outages and the company is finishing up power restorations in the county. Adams Electric: All members back in service as of Tuesday morning Reported earlier YORK, Pa. -- They go to bed at sunset and rise with the dawn, their darkened homes leaving them little to do in the nighttime hours. They subsist on canned goods. They get online with their mobile phones, get the latest news and swap info with their neighbors. But mostly, they wait. The residents of about 25 homes on West King Street, Royal Street and Mason Avenue in York were still without power Tuesday afternoon, out since about 1 a.m. Sunday. In several backyards off the 800 block of West King Street lies the source of their trouble. A fallen tree, now partially cut into pieces, knocked down a power line during Hurricane Irene. Some of the residents regard the situation with stoic resignation, while others can barely contain their mounting frustration. Met-Ed spokesman Scott Surgeoner said the company was still working to restore power for approximately 1,800 York County customers as of Tuesday morning, and should have the "vast majority" back online by Friday. In the meantime, the people in that neighborhood can do little but take advantage of the assistance offered them -- from human service agencies and neighbors -- and keep an eye on their electric appliances in the hope they'll spring back to life. Norma Sanchez On Tuesday afternoon, Norma Sanchez and her stepsister, Cheryl Alvarez, were making their rounds of the neighborhood, checking on their neighbors and getting the latest news. Sanchez has three children and Alvarez has one. Their kids and their mother are staying across the street with another daughter, who has power. But there's not enough bed space for the stepsisters. Sanchez appreciates the generosity of the community, but complained that some have been taking advantage of it. The night before, she attended a local church dinner specifically for people without power, and said she saw some people not affected by the outage. "We never thought we'd be affected by a hurricane," Sanchez said. "We're in Pennsylvania, not on the coast." Larry Kearse A couple of American Red Cross workers stopped by the neighborhood on Tuesday afternoon, handing out boxes of cleaning supplies for people whose homes might have been left in disrepair. Larry Kearse took one and surveyed the contents. It contained a mop, a broom, a bucket and cleaning liquids. He said he saw it as one more token of support from the community, for which he's grateful. Between the dinners at local churches and the free water and ice available from Giant supermarkets, there's been no shortage of assistance. In the meantime, he, his girlfriend and her parents are getting by. They prepare hotdogs and hamburgers outside on the grill. Neighbors have been sharing food and other resources. "That's how we've been coping," Kearse said. "Neighbors helping neighbors." Stuart Thompson Propped on the front of Stuart Thompson's porch is a dry-erase board he's set up to help his neighbors. It includes a listing of emergency shelters, instructions for getting free ice and water from Giant, and the latest updates from Met-Ed. Yes, the lack of electricity is inconvenient. But Thompson was in Galveston, Texas, after Hurricane Ike in 2008. He remembers the devastation and the death. "It was like a war zone," he said. "This is nothing." Linda Corter Linda Corter and her grown granddaughter, Briana, were painting their front porch Tuesday afternoon. Corter mentioned a neighbor who's helped them out by providing ice and allowing them to charge their cellphones. They're little things, Corter said, but they mean a lot in a trying situation like the extended power outage. "Everybody looks out for everybody," Corter said. By the numbers As of 7 p.m. Tuesday, area power companies listed the following outage numbers for York County: Met-Ed: 1,635 PPL Electric: 198 PECO: 500 Adams Electric: All members back in service as of Tuesday morning The priorities of power restoration. ___ (c)2011 York Daily Record (York, Pa.) Visit York Daily Record (York, Pa.) at www.ydr.com Distributed by MCT Information Services [ Back To TMCnet.com's Homepage ]