LACEYVILLE, Pa. — Laceyville resident Phil Allen says this is the longest he's ever gone without electricity.
Trees fell near his home early Tuesday morning, just before the lights and the heat shut off.
The thermostat in his home read 58 degrees.
Allen says it was so cold Tuesday night that he and his granddaughter had to check into a hotel.
"It got a little to chilly for the little one. I could've probably handled it, but a 7-year-old, you know," Allen said.
But finding a place to stay was no easy task.
"The Hampton Inn was booked, the Comfort Inn was booked, up there in Towanda, they were booked," Allen said,
Charleen Hall and her family ran into the same issue, driving almost an hour to Sayre for a room.
We found Hall and her son carrying propane and gas up to their home.
They just bought a generator for $900.
"Tough on the budget. I'm the only one in the house that works, and there's six of us. Even the people with big generators, like the Generac, they're running out of propane, and the trucks can't get in here," Hall said.
That's because it's impassible; the road is still blocked off, covered in power lines.
"My mom said she saw big sparks like a transformer was going. When we woke up the next morning, a big tree was down across the road, and all the lines were," Hall added.
Part of Main Street and the lumber yard across from Hall's home have been closed ever since.
Steven Schoemaker has lived in Laceyville for 17 years and can't recall another snowfall after Easter.
He says the outage Tuesday morning came as surprise.
"I woke up to go to work; no alarm clock. I was like, 'wow.' I woke up, and it was light out, so I knew I was late, but whatever," Schoemaker said.
He's doing what he can while waiting for power to be restored.
"Cook on my grill in my apartment. That's my light, that's my heat. Hope for the best," Schoemaker said.
When we spoke with Mr. Allen earlier, he was just a few minutes away from calling for a room; he's staying at a motel again.
Others are relying on generators or heat sources and staying at home.
Penelec says it expects to restore power to most customers by late Friday, but Laceyville residents hope it happens much sooner.
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