The hidden dangers of extended power outages

Published: Aug 27, 2024 Duration: 00:04:46 Category: News & Politics

Tags : news Minnesota storms Electricity severe weather power outages dangers

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FOX NINE. ALL RIGHT, MAURY, THANK YOU. THE LIGHTS ARE SLOWLY COMING BACK ON FOR SOME PEOPLE IN MINNESOTA AND WISCONSIN, ABOUT 40,000 CUSTOMERS ARE STILL WITHOUT POWER. TONIGHT THAT'S DOWN FROM 150,000 THIS MORNING AT THE PEAK OF THOSE OUTAGES. THERE'S NO QUESTION THAT LOSING POWER IS CERTAINLY AN INCONVENIENCE. BUT FOR OTHERS, IT'S POTENTIALLY LIFE THREATENING. AND THAT'S BECAUSE THOSE WHO RELY ON CERTAIN MEDICAL EQUIPMENT NEED POWER FOR THAT EQUIPMENT. FOX NINES MIKE MANZONI IS LIVE IN RICHFIELD TONIGHT. AND, MIKE, YOU SPOKE WITH A MAN WHO IS AFRAID TO GO TO SLEEP RIGHT NOW AND FORTUNATELY FOR THAT MAN, THE POWER HERE LOOKS LIKE IT TURNED ON JUST A SHORT TIME AGO. BUT IT WAS A TERRIFYING 24 HOURS OR SO BECAUSE HE USES A CPAP MACHINE AND JUST GOT OUT OF THE HOSPITAL AFTER MAJOR HEART SURGERY. HE SAYS HE WAS AFRAID WITHOUT THAT MACHINE, HE WOULDN'T WAKE UP. THIS IS WHERE WE COME TO WHEN WE COME OUT OUR DOORS. YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE AT ALONZO POLLARD'S PLACE IN RICHFIELD. IT'S HARD TO FIND YOUR OWN APARTMENT DOOR. AS YOU CAN SEE, THE EMERGENCY LIGHTS THAT'S SUPPOSED TO BE ON, NOT ON. EMERGENCY LIGHTS UP HERE. NOT ON. BUT THE DARKNESS ISN'T HIS ONLY PROBLEM. I'VE BEEN UP SINCE 1230 LAST NIGHT, AFRAID THAT IF I GO TO SLEEP, I CAN'T STOP BREATHING. HE'S RECOVERING FROM TWO RECENT HEART SURGERIES AND SUFFERS FROM SLEEP APNEA. THAT'S WHY HE USES A CPAP MACHINE. BUT WITHOUT POWER, IT'S USELESS. AND THAT MACHINE HELPS ME BREATHE AND HELPS THE PUMPING OF THE OXYGEN WITH THE HEART. AND ONCE THAT'S NOT ONCE. I CAN'T TAKE THAT. IT MAKES IT HARD FOR ME TO BREATHE. AND I CAN DIE IN MY SLEEP. THIS IS OUR CHARGING STATION. HIS NEIGHBOR, CRAIG GOODWIN, FOUND POWER IN HIS STORAGE UNIT. NO IT IN YOU. THAT'S GOOD FOR CELL PHONES AND RADIOS. BUT HIS WIFE, WHO SUFFERS FROM CHRONIC BREATHING ISSUES, COULDN'T STAY THE NIGHT. IF THERE'S NO POWER, THEN SHE'S REALLY. BECAUSE SHE DOES HAVE AN ATTACK. THERE'S NO WAY TO PLUG IT IN. HE'S TALKING ABOUT HER NEBULIZER. WITHOUT IT, A ROUTINE BREATHING PROBLEM COULD QUICKLY TURN INTO A MEDICAL EMERGENCY. THERE'S NO POWER, NOBODY HELPING US. AND SHE GOES ON THE ATTACK AND I CAN'T GET HER ON HER MACHINE. I WOULD HAVE TO CALL EMERGENCY AND HAVE HER BRING HER TO THE HOSPITAL. AND MEDICAL DEVICES ARE JUST ONE THING THAT PEOPLE LOSE WITHOUT POWER. REFRIGERATED MEDICATIONS CAN ALSO SPOIL. IF YOU RUN A GENERATOR, YOU'RE ALSO AT RISK FOR CARBON MONOXIDE. AND OF COURSE, WITHOUT REFRIGERATION, YOU ARE ALSO AT RISK FOR FOOD POISONING. THE CDC SAYS THAT YOU CAN EVEN RUN INTO ELECTRIC SHOCK WITH ALL THOSE DOWNED POWER LINES. WE'RE LIVE IN RICHFIELD TONIGHT, MIKE MANZONI, FOX NINE. ALL RIGHT. THANKS, MIKE. AND WHEN SEVERE WEATHER STRIKES, STAY AHEAD OF THE STORM WITH THE FOX NINE WEATHER APP. IT HAS THE LATEST WARNINGS UP TO THE MINUTE RADAR AND MORE. IT IS FREE FOR APPLE AND ANDROID WELL, WE HAVEN'T HAD TOO MANY SEVERE STORMS THIS SUMMER. THIS IS THE SECOND TIME FOR SOME GOING MORE THAN 24 HOURS WITHOUT POWER. FOX SIGNS MARY MAGUIRE JOINING US NOW LIVE FROM SAINT LOUIS PARK. AND MARY, YOU FOUND ONE RESIDENT GOING THROUGH THAT VERY SITUATION. YEAH IT'S REALLY ANNOYING. IT'S BEEN MORE THAN 12 HOURS SINCE THOSE STRONG STORMS HIT THE AREA THIS MORNING. AND AS YOU CAN SEE BEHIND ME, THIS NEIGHBORHOOD IN SAINT LOUIS PARK, COMPLETELY DARK TONIGHT. THEY ARE ALL WITHOUT POWER. LOSING YOUR ELECTRICITY FOR A FEW HOURS. NOW. THAT'S ANNOYING. BUT LOSING IT FOR DAYS ON END TWICE IN A MATTER OF WEEKS. THAT IS JUST PLAIN AGGRAVATING. AND THAT'S EXACTLY WHAT RESIDENTS IN PARTS OF THE WEST METRO ARE DEALING WITH. AFTER THOSE STRONG STORMS SWEPT THROUGH THE AREA ON MONDAY NIGHT AND THIS MORNING. AS OF TUESDAY AFTERNOON, XCEL ENERGY SAID THAT THEIR CREWS HAD RESTORED POWER TO 70% OF THE MORE THAN 250,000 CUSTOMERS IMPACTED BY THESE STORMS. THAT DID NOT, UNFORTUNATELY, INCLUDE SOME NEIGHBORS IN THE BROOKSIDE NEIGHBORHOOD OF SAINT LOUIS PARK EARLIER THIS SUMMER, THOMAS LOST POWER FOR TWO DAYS, AND NOW HE'S DEALING WITH ANOTHER LONG OUTAGE. TRY TO FLIP ON THE LIGHTS AND NOTHING CAME ON. IT'S PRETTY ANNOYING. YEAH, A LITTLE BIT. BUT I MEAN, I'M SURE EVERYONE'S DOING THEIR BEST TO GET IT BACK ON, BUT IT'S DEFINITELY KIND OF AN OBSTACLE IN DAILY LIFE FOR SURE. NOW, XCEL ENERGY SAYS THEY EXPECT POWER TO BE RESTORED TO MOST OF THEIR CUSTOMERS BY THE END OF THE DAY ON THURSDAY. YOU CAN ALWAYS CHECK THEIR WEBSITE AND THEIR OUTAGE MAP FOR THE LATEST. NOW, OF COURSE, ANOTHER BIG PART OF THIS STORM IS THE CLEANUP. ALL OF THAT DEBRIS AND TREE BRANCHES THAT ARE DOWN. SAINT LOUIS PARK AND EDEN PRAIRIE, THEY'RE BOTH OPENING UP THEIR BRUSH PICKUP SITES SO RESIDENTS CAN GET RID OF ALL THAT JUNK IN THEIR YARDS. REPORTING LIVE TONIGHT MARY MA

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