NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville woman is fighting to keep herself and her animals alive as she enters her fifth day without electricity or water following the winter storm.
Ariana Kaufman remains at her Hoot Owl Holler Farm on Homeland Drive, caring for two horses, a donkey, two dogs, a snake and multiple cats despite dangerous conditions and thousands of dollars in damage to her property.
"It just feels hopeless and like no one's going to save anyone in the neighborhood," Kaufman said.
Fallen trees and power lines litter her street, creating hazardous conditions that have left her feeling trapped and isolated.
"I just thought one's gonna land on us, on the house, on the animals, um, and uh, we're all gonna die," she said.
The generators that had been providing some relief quit working three days ago, leaving Kaufman without any source of power. The cold inside her home now feels worse than the frigid temperatures outside.
"It just feels so alone and like help is not gonna come and we're all gonna get left behind," Kaufman said.
Despite her own struggles, Kaufman has become a guide for Nashville's fire department, helping them reach elderly neighbors who are also stranded on the dead-end street.
"We have to help each other right now because we're pretty alone on the dead end street," she said.
Kaufman continues to hold onto hope that power will be restored soon.
"I think there's like a tiny bit of hope that NES is gonna show up any minute and turn the electricity on," she said.
The experience has been emotionally and physically draining as she works to keep everyone in her care safe.
"It's been so difficult. I'm just trying so hard to keep my animals alive and myself," Kaufman said.
She emphasizes that chainsaws are the biggest need right now to free people still blocked in by fallen trees. Kaufman is also urging community members not to assume their neighbors are okay during this crisis.
"I think everyone that's without power right now is struggling and is having a very hard time staying alive," she said.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at Patsy.Montesinos@NewsChannel5.com
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