ROCKVILLE, MD. (WUSA) - Pepco says it's now down to the final one percent of customers who are awaiting the return of their electricity. The utility says 19-hundred field crews are working across our area to make that happen.
For everyone who thought having underground power lines was the silver bullet, welcome to Quince Orchard Knolls. Here the lines are underground and there is no visible damage. But the power was only returned here a few hours ago.
"Today was enough. I just was done today. I've been very emotional the whole day. Crying and happy. We keep hearing a crew's here, but then a crew's not here. And then the wrong crew is here," said Lisa Torvik.
After seven agonizing days, the power returned to this neighborhood. Confidence in Pepco did not.
"I explained to them I'm diabetic. I had to get ice three times. I don't want to lose my insulin but the amount of money I've spent on dry ice, it's about the cost of the insulin. So we just wish that they'd be honest with us," said resident 'Q' Armstrong.
It has been a comedy of errors here, starting with the first Pepco crew to arrive two days ago.
A good ol boy from Georgia was here to survey the damage. "Oh, they didn't tell me it was underground,' so he left," said resident Elgin Etchison.
Yesterday, it happened again.
Four trucks of contractors showed up. Walked up and down the street. Walked all through the neighborhood. Spent about an hour and a half here. And they said, 'We can't do anything. We're overhead people,' " said Elgin Etchison..
Then, another crew came and said it was simply a blown fuse, but they needed to request another crew for that.
Tonight, the immediate joy of having power back is quickly followed by dread that another storm is just around the corner.
"We're going to get a generator. We have to. Just to salvage some of our food," said resident Sandra Bond.
"I don't know what we're going to do. It's just overwhelming. I feel overwhelmed," said Lisa Torvik.