COLLEGE GROVE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A College Grove couple in their 70s contacted NewsChannel 5 to get help after they said they had been living without heat in their home for weeks.
"I slept under the electric blanket, I had a headband on and a coat and gloves," said Eileen Thomas.
Eileen and her husband James said at times the temperature would get down to 47 degrees inside their home, and that was with space heaters running.
"We're both in our 70s, we had no heat, no gas, the temperature outside was in the teens and 20s, and they said well we have 10-14 days," James Thomas said.
Eileen and James say they get propane delivered from Amerigas to heat their home.
According to the company's own delivery schedule given to Eileen and James, the couple asked for more gas on February 4, with an expected delivery on the 12th -- that was before the ice and snow storm began in earnest. But the expected delivery didn't come until Monday afternoon: the two-week delivery deadline ended four days ago.
"Time's been long since up," James Thomas said.
"I would like to ask them what would you do if this was your mother," Eileen Thomas said. "What would you do if your older mom was in a house with no heat?"
After our interview with Eileen and James, Amerigas told us they arrived and delivered them more propane, something they said was already planned and scheduled before the couple contacted NewsChannel 5.
In an emailed statement, Amerigas said the severe weather impacted deliveries for most of last week, and that deliveries can only be made when conditions are safe.
The Thomases say after so long without heat, they're just glad to give their sanctuary a place to warm up.
Below is the full statement from AmeriGas:
Due to the recent severe weather event, deliveries in the region were impacted for most of last week. Unfortunately, our services and deliveries were delayed for several days due to the weather. We have been working diligently to bring these services back up to normal operation. We appreciate our community and customers for remaining patient during this difficult time. We also thank our employees for working extended hours to resume business as usual as quickly as we can.
As we work to safely complete deliveries, please consider the following actions you can take to ensure you receive your propane delivery smoothly and safely:
- Make sure driveways remain plowed and exceed the width of a large delivery vehicle
- Keep driveway and propane equipment clear of snow and ice and mark the location of underground propane tanks. We recommend at 10' wide path for our bobtail to deliver.
- Conserve energy when possible. We have tips on our website
- Call if your gauge reads 10% or less, but realize that deliveries will be made only when conditions are safe
- If you order propane on demand, order online when your tank is at 30%
