BEAR CREEK TOWNSHIP, LUZERNE COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU) — It was a long three days and counting for thousands of people who lost their electricity during a late-week winter storm.
On Sunday, PPL said it's still working to restore power in parts of northeastern Pennsylvania, including Luzerne County.
RJ Popeck powered up a chainsaw on Sunday to cut through damaged trees in Forest Park Development in Bear Creek Township.
"Old trees, they break," Popeck said.
Old trees toppled on Friday during a winter storm that dumped about 15 inches of snow on this part of Luzerne County.
Fallen trees downed power lines in places just like this on Parkway Road.
"They were on the ground laying across the road here. The tree tangled them all up and there's most of the tree," Popeck explained.
PPL took care of the downed lines while working to restore electricity.
"It was a little rough but it is what it is. We have generators and a propane stove so we're good," Popeck stated.
Not everyone was up to the challenges that came Friday.
"No electricity. It's cold, and I just worked a 12-and-a-half-hour shift, and I wasn't dealing with the snow," Bear Creek Township resident Mike Emerick said.
After staying the night someplace else, Emerick returned to his Woodland Road home over the weekend to face reality and turned to his generator to supply the juice.
Winter storm causes power outages across northeastern Pennsylvania
Electricity was not all that needed restoring. Phone and internet service was also knocked out, a busy weekend for crews trying to get customers back online after the battering by the late November storm.
"You know what? You have to kind of roll with the punches. You know, things are going to happen," Emerick continued.
Neighbors living in Bear Creek Township's Forest Park Development had their electricity restored Sunday morning.
28/22 News checked around 10:30 p.m. Sunday and PPL reports about 6,200 customers are still without power, including over 3,000 in Pike County and almost 1,200 in Wayne County.
The utility company reports most customers still without electricity should have their service restored no later than Monday night.
