FOX CHAPEL, Pa. — Power crews were back in their bucket trucks on Sunday, replacing broken utility poles and clearing downed wires five days after destructive storms knocked out power for tens of thousands of people.
Rosie Welsh and her neighbors on Delafield Road in Fox Chapel lost power on Tuesday.
"I'm dealing with it, and hopefully by tomorrow, maybe, we'll have lights," Welsh said.
Welsh said her power was restored by 8 p.m. Sunday, but other homes on the street were still in the dark. Before her lights went back on, Welsh brought some snacks to Duquesne Light linemen.
"I'm so thankful to these Duquesne Light guys for all the work they've been doing, and I didn't have much to hand them, but I was able to give them a few Diet Cokes and a bag of pretzels," Welsh said.
For some, the uncertainty is inconvenient.
George Shan said he's had to stay home with his two young kids, who've been off from the Fox Chapel Area School District since Tuesday.
"I have to take a vacation, take work off," Shan said.
The Fox Chapel Area School District is having a remote learning day on Monday because power is still out in some parts of the borough and roads are still not cleared of debris.
Shan's eight-year-old daughter, May, seems to be okay with that.
"I like school, but I also want a break from school," said the second-grade student.
About 500 extra utility crews from out of state are still working to restore power and clean up the damage. A big tree has been blocking a home's driveway and part of Old Mill Road for days.
State Rep. Mandy Steele said the long wait has been unacceptable.
"They are on the roads and getting the work done, but it's just not enough," she said.
Steele said the only information her constituents have been getting about restoration efforts has been from her social media page.
"The communication from Duquesne Light has been abysmal," she said. "Some of those people are elderly. Some of them are sick. Some are dependent on electricity to keep medical devices going. This is becoming an incredibly unsafe situation."
She now plans on calling a hearing with power companies when she's back in session Monday to question them on why restoration efforts are taking so long.
"We need to take testimony from the people that are responsible for coordinating response times," Steele said. "We need to really put them on the stand, hear their testimony, and make a plan of action for holding them accountable moving forward."
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