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Thousands Without Power Struggle To Stay Cool

Last updated on Monday, July 2, 2012

(GRANT COUNTY) - Thousands of Hoosiers were looking for a way to keep cool Sunday, two days after their power was knocked out by strong storms.

Friday's thunderstorms downed trees and power lines across Grant, Delaware, Randolph and other counties, leaving thousands of homes and businesses in the dark for the weekend, RTV6's Chance Walser reported.

More than 1,300 customers in Grant County and 1,200 customers in Delaware County still didn't have power Sunday afternoon.

Marion homeowner John Sickert has been eating out of an ice chest and living by candlelight since then, and he's afraid to sleep because he doesn't have power to run the machine that helps him breathe at night.

"Generators are not available. Lowes is out of them. Big R is out of them," he said.

His neighbor, Heidi Saylors, has been running a small generator enough to power a small fan and a TV.

"We have no running water in the house, nothing like that. No electricity, no running water, so we're kind of just sweating it out as best as we can," she said.

Cooling centers have been opened across the region, including two in Muncie -- at the Red Cross office on East Washington Street and in the front lobby at IU Health Ball Memorial Hospital.

Emergency management officials said most power in Grant and Delaware counties should be restored by Monday evening.

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