Heavy snow Friday meant complications for many Marion County residents, who lost power for up to two days.
But it also resulted in some tranquility and fun as family and friends united as they waited for the lights to come back on.
More than 3,000 homes in Marion County lost service as a result of Friday’s record 6 inches of snowfall, and the Pearl River Valley Electric Power Association had restored power to all of its customers by noon Sunday.
Cedar Grove resident Dannielle Rogers said she took advantage of the weather to relax.
“A transformer blew at about 6:30 a.m.,” she said. “It was an eerie sound; I was in a deer stand and heard it. Our power came back on about 4 p.m. I built a fire and read a book. It was quiet and serene.”
Many other Marion County residents shared similar stories.
“I had power the whole time, but my mom’s was out for 48 hours,” Rebecca Mayers, who lives in the Sandy Hook-New Hope area, said. “She came over to my house and was waited on like a princess. The worst thing I was thinking was that I had no internet, but once I cleaned off my dish we were in business.”
Amy Terrell said her family enjoyed time together during the power outage.
“We were out of power for more than 24 hours where I live off Gates Road,” she said. “The kids had a snowball fight and made a snowman. We came inside and opened all of the blinds in the living room and laid on the floor and colored and made up cartoons. My 7- and 5-year-olds kept us occupied with stories as my 2-year-old rode a riding toy around the house. I made soup and we stayed toasty warm, thank goodness for gas appliances. We enjoyed playing and reading books and spending time as a family.”
Marion County resident Jeremy Buchanan said power at his home was off for two days.
“We were without power from 8:30 a.m. Friday until Sunday at around 10 a.m.,” he said. “We have an all-electric house. The kids stayed at grandma’s and my wife, Melissa, and me stayed at home and bundled up in blankets. We made the best of it, thankful for the roof over our heads. We will be installing a generator that comes on automatically very shortly.”
Shannon Sledge said the power outage made things difficult for her family.
“I live in Goss and we were without power from about 5:30 in the morning until 8:30 at night,” she said. “We sat in the truck most of the day because my 3-month-old son was getting cold. We finally decided at about 4:30 p.m. to get a hotel room in case the power didn’t come back on or stay on long once it came on. We let the kids play in the snow while enjoying hot chocolate that we made between power surges.”
In Kokomo, LeAnn Williamson said her family ended up borrowing a generator.
“Our power went out about midnight and then came back on at around 5 a.m.,” she said. “It went back off about 7 a.m. and didn’t come back on until around 4 p.m.”
While some struggled with the power loss, others had simple solutions. Angela Bass was out of power for around 36 hours on and off.
“I was quite comfortable,” she said. “I have a fireplace.”
For some, the outages were shorter. Marion County Coroner Norma Williamson, who lives in the Goss-Bunker Hill area, said she made do with her situation.
“The power was out here for about nine hours,” she said. “I ended up at my bonus kid’s house until it came on. I got home and had no water. I melted snow to wash my hair, to use the bathroom and to make coffee. The next morning, I discovered I had a burst pipe that had run all night, but I made it fine.”
Columbia resident Jessica Rosenbach said her power was only off for a few hours.
“I’m on West Avenue near Columbia Primary School,” she said. “We lost power about 5 a.m. Friday. I immediately reported it to Mississippi Power and our power was back around 8 a.m. With no power, me, my husband and our kids went to McDonald’s to grab breakfast and coffee around 7 a.m.”
For Amy Moody of Columbia, time was spent with family.
“Shawn and I and our daughter, Sophia, live on Dale Street,” she said. “We lost power from around 5 a.m. until after 8 a.m., so we stayed under the covers with our 10-month-old to keep her warm. When the power came back on, we went to Hardee’s to eat and then shopped at Walmart.”
Pictured Above: Columbia Fire Department Capt. Nathan Guy is covered in snow as he and other firefighters stand by after a transformer blew Friday. | Photo by Mark Rogers
