EAST STROUDSBURG -- People staying in shelters in Monroe County face the possibility of waiting a week for power to be restored.
About two dozen people stayed at the shelter set up at the Koehler Field House on the campus of East Stroudsburg University.
Matlean Mumford went there because Sandy knocked out the power at her home in East Stroudsburg.
"I didn't have any type of food in the house, no refrigerator, no power. I had to get somewhere that I could be able to be warm, comfortable."
This is a so-called mega-shelter. It's for residents of New York, New Jersey or Pennsylvania. It is run by the American Red Cross and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency. They supply the food and the facilities to keep people comfortable until the power comes back on.
According to the Red Cross, about 16 stayed at the shelter and they are not surprised by that low number. They believe more people will seek shelter as their time without electricity grows.
Annie Cappuccino would have been there sooner but fallen tries blocked roads leading from her home in Analomink.
"We're alive, we're OK and when you put it in perspective, we're back to the pioneer days and if they survived, we will too."
Cappuccino said her daughter is an ESU graduate and it is nice to be back on campus but not under these circumstances.
Keith Conrey is also a Wednesday morning visitor.
"The water started to run out. The smell started to grow. We heard about it and we thought (it was a) godsend."
Conrey and Cappuccino both said getting fed and cleaned up gave them the ability to weather the power outage for a few more days.
Red Cross workers said the shelter will stay open as long as there is a need.