Ellicott still in the dark after storm

ELLICOTT - There are things Dean Mabe can do without — computers, television, even heat.

But no toilet?

“That’s a problem,” said Mabe, who spent his third day Thursday without power or water at his Sanborn Road home. “It takes a lot of water to flush a toilet. You find out when you’re hauling water just how much it takes to flush a toilet.”

Mabe is among thousands of eastern El Paso County residents still waiting for the power to come back on after Tuesday’s winter storm.

For some, it could be a long wait.

While life is returning to normal in this area — the snow has melted, Ellicott schools reopen today, stores and restaurants are back in business — Mountain View Electric Association officials say it could be Sunday before most of the 1,200 homes without power in Ellicott are restored, and some could wait as long as Wednesday.

“It is a lot of damage and it does take some time to get that last person on,”Mountain View spokesman Darryl Edwards said Thursday. Smaller-scale outages in Calhan and Rush, about 600 homes, are expected to be repaired by today, he said.

Wet, heavy snow piled on the lines and poles during the storm, and fierce winds snapped 200 poles in the Ellicott area alone. In some areas, north-south lines were fine, while east-west lines were torn to shreds.

Miami-Yoder School District announced late Thursday there would be no classes today because the schools have no electricity.

Despite bringing in crews from other utility companies as far away as Akron, the repair work is slow. With houses so spread out in the area, crews may need to replace several poles just to reach one home.

“We are putting all of our resources into this,” Edwards said.

For rural residents, it means more than just losing electricity. They can’t get water from their powered wells, many can’t heat their homes and much of their food has spoiled.

County officials, alarmed at the size and duration of the outage, held a meeting with relief agencies Thursday night to find ways to help those still in the dark.

The Pikes Peak Chapter of the American Red Cross has been bringing bottled water to Ellicott, and free nonpotable water has been available at the fire station. Starting at 10 a.m. today, a phone line will be established for residents to find out where supplies are available or for volunteers to offer help, by dialing 211 from any phone.

Residents are coping in different ways. They’re taking showers at homes of friends and relatives. Many have bought generators to keep at least the refrigerator running. They’re buying water at the store and melting snow for nondrinking water.

Most appear to be taking it in stride.

“That’s part of the stuff that we live with. You live out in the country, that’s what happens,” said Mabe. “If you’re a city person and this is your first country experience, you might be frustrated.”

“I think everyone’s a little frustrated,” said Robert Brown, who ventured out to pick up water for his horses from the fire station and two cases of bottled water for drinking. “But I’m sure they’re doing the best they can. Nothing you can do about it.”

Tony Myers, whose Sanborn Road home is dark, decided to move in with his in-laws for the duration, even though it made him feel “displaced.”

“We’ve got an infant,” he said. “Time to go. No water, no food for the baby, that’s a bad deal.”

Residents weren’t the only ones left in the dark.

The handful of businesses in Ellicott had no power from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday morning.

Andy Townsend, owner of the 94 Kountry Store, lost $1,000 or more in frozen and refrigerated food — though he saved much of the meat by taking it to his freezer at home, where the lights were still on.

El Paso County Department of Health and Environment crews spent the day visiting restaurants and foot sellers to make sure they weren’t staying open without power or selling any spoiled food.

Popular items at Ellicott stores included water, gasoline to power generators, and, of course, cooked meals.

Said Pete Vargas, owner of Boogies Restaurant in Ellicott, “Lately it’s been a lot of to-go orders. They come and use the bathroom and then they go.”