BERKLEY, Mich. (WXYZ) — DTE customers say they're frustrated after entering day six with no power.
Beatrice Barrett says she and her husband Thomas lost power on Wednesday night. They say they woke up again Monday morning to a cold, dark home.
"It was like sleeping with your bed outside in the front yard," said Barrett. "I never experienced nothing like this."
Barrett says only a portion of her neighborhood remained without power Monday morning. Around 11 a.m., she says the lights finally cut back on.
"We just don’t understand why our power wasn’t on. I’ll give them three or even four days but six days? That is a long time," said Barrett.
The retired couple says they lost food, had to eat out for nearly every meal, and had to purchase firewood among other things to manage.
"We’ve probably spent maybe about $2,000 purchasing logs in different areas, then trying to drive all the way across town. Then we invested in a kerosene heater, the food that we’ve lost. The time we’ve had to spend out sleeping in our car," said Thomas Barrett.
As of 2 o'clock Monday afternoon, some families in Berkeley were still waiting for their power to be restored.
"Our house got down to I think it was like 42 degrees and we were worried about the kids' fish tanks upstairs," said Will Savage.
Savage says he and his family have been staying with family members nearby. Monday, the family was using a generator to power a few things in their home.
"If I didn’t have my in-laws so close to me I don't know what we would have done. We would’ve been a lot colder, I’m sure," said Savage. "Thankfully it worked out for us. Had we not had that I don’t really know what we would’ve done."
Savage and other neighbors near 12 Mile and Coolidge say they believe a snapped utility pole was holding up their restoration.
In a storm update on their website, DTE says they were able to restore power to more than 95% of customers as of 7 a.m. Monday morning but would continue working around the clock to restore all. The power company also said they plan to reimburse customers who were without power for days on end but did not clarify when and how much.
Homeowners say there needs to be better communication in the future and compensation.
"We don’t have another option. This is our only option and they know we’re going to pay because we need the services but they have to give us respect too," said Beatrice Barrett.
