OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) — A local couple struggling to make ends meet still have not been able to get power restored to their home after severe storms damaged their electrical connection hardware last month.
Everyday for nearly one month, Andrew Baker burns more gas and cash running his generator.
“About $34 a day,” Baker said.
But it’s the only choice he and his girlfriend, Charity Coffey, have had to power the trailer they call home in unincorporated Oklahoma County.
“So June 25th, a storm that came at 10:30 at night and knocked electricity out,” Coffey said. “We've been out since then.”
That storm brought winds of nearly 100 miles per hour. It knocked out power to a good portion of Oklahoma City.
After the storm, OG&E came out and replaced a pole that’d fallen on their property.
But they say OG&E told them they’d be on their own when it came fixing damage to their electric meter and other hardware essential to running power to their home.
“The meter box in the riser, we have to get electrician to come out and fix it, do the repairs and then sign off on it and get the permit as well for the inspection,” Coffey said.
They received repair estimates from several companies ranging from $4,000 to $5,000. Those estimates don’t include the hundreds of dollars in permit fees they also have to pay.
That’s money the two former addicts, who recently became sober, don’t have as they work to turn their lives around.
Plus, they are also expecting a baby.
“We're barely making ends meet,” Coffey said. “Like, it's rough, you know?”
“We've called, we've called FEMA and the Red Cross and getting everybody in there,” Baker said. “Nobody got any funds.”
Mother nature brought the couple a heavy burden, but they’re keeping optimistic.
“It's been a struggle to keep to not want to go back to that old life,” Baker said. “But God's got bigger and better plans for me, for us both.”
An OG&E spokesperson sent News 4 the following statement in regards to Baker and Coffey's situation:
This home's meter base was damaged during the late-June storms. Before our crews can safely re-energize a home or business, any damage to the weatherhead or meter base must be done by a qualified electrician and those repairs must be inspected by the local municipality. We've been in contact with the customer and have informed them as soon as repairs are made to the damaged meter base, and once we receive the inspection from the city, we can safely re-energize their home. The customer could call 211 to learn about any assistance options they may qualify for.
OG&E spokesperson
