SUSQUEHANNA COUNTY, Pa. — The snow is beginning to melt across northeastern Pennsylvania; after Friday's first snowstorm pummeled Susquehanna County, the Speakeasy in Uniondale is well into its second full day without power.
"We had a couple of people that had to cancel their rooms and everything, so that's hard on the business now. And not being able to be open is also hard on the business," says the Speakeasy owner, Kourtney Durante.
The saloon and resort were forced to close due to the power outage. While Saturday usually means a dinner rush, instead, the owners and workers are left trying to salvage what they can.
"It's just shuffling everything around and making sure everything. I mean, the generators we do have, they're pumping the coolers. It's not enough to run the whole place; this place is huge," said Durante.
The Speakeasy is just one of the tens of thousands of homes and businesses left without power on Saturday across parts of Susquehanna and Wayne counties. Downed trees could be seen knocking over power lines in front of this home along Route 171. We were hoping to see if there was a family stuck inside, but there was no way for us to get up to the home for them to get out.
"We were driving places and watching the wires fall, the trees fall. A very wet, heavy snow," said Waymart Fire Chief Joshua Rynearson.
Downed power lines kept the Waymart Fire Volunteer Department busy as well. Here's a look at the heavy snow they battled during Friday's storm, as the firefighters spent all day helping out wherever needed.
"It was about 2:30 in the morning when we got our first call, and after that, they just kept coming. We ended this morning at 12:30 with 29 calls for service," he added.
The department continues to help by opening their doors as a warming shelter to those without power. But they're not letting the storm stop their annual turkey party Saturday night.
"A lot of people that don’t have power, we’ll have food, drinks, warmth," said Rynearson.
As this storm comes well before the Thanksgiving turkeys are cooked, people are worried about what this means for the rest of the winter season.
"I didn’t think it was going to be this much. We expected we were going to get snow, but no one ever thought we were going to lose power and be out for days. We’re used to the snow here, but this is a lot," added Durante.
PPL Electric says it prioritizes restoring power to the largest number of homes and businesses and then will work on those affected in smaller neighborhoods.