LOUISVILLE, Ky. — The lights are back on at senior living complexes like Beecher Terrace Apartments, just west of downtown Louisville, following days of extensive power outages caused by Friday's storms.
While the aftermath has caused strains across the Metro, few have felt the impacts more than the city's most physically vulnerable population -- many who rely on electricity for critical needs.
Residents at Beecher Terrace told WHAS11 they struggled without heat or hot water until they saw power return Monday.
"We were cold, putting on several gowns, robes and heavy pajamas. It was horrible," said 64-year-old tenant Martha Burris. "We have people who are on oxygen. We have people who had to have their medicine."
While Burris said she's grateful for how hard crews are working and "shouted Hallelujah" when the lights came back on, the wait still took its toll.
Tenants are reflecting on what they went through, some are frustrated they weren't higher on the priority list for power restoration.
"We shouldn't have been last, we should have been first," Burris said.
Fellow tenant William Neely noted the financial strain the situation put on residents who may not have loved ones nearby.
"A lot of people not from here don't have family to lean on," Neely said. "We [had] just paid rent, and then it happened."
Regardless, Neely praised the effort by Beecher Terrace employees to help where they could, providing ready-made food and extra bedding to their seniors.
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