BELLSHIRE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A Nashville homeowner who spent 11 days without power following the recent ice storm finally had her electricity restored on Wednesday, just as I arrived to interview her about her ordeal.
Debbie Baird was in the middle of speaking to me at her Brick Church Pike home when the power came back on.
Earlier that morning, a crew brought in from Alabama to help with the power restoration effort arrived at her home.
For 11 days, Baird endured temperatures that never rose above 40 degrees inside her house.
She relied on a kerosene heater to stay warm while living alone with her two dogs, including one named Benji.
Thanks to help from friends and work she did stay a few nights in a hotel as well.
"This kerosene heater here has saved my life," said Baird.
"I was really concerned more about my dogs than I was me," she said.
During the ice storm, the power line to Baird's house came down, leaving live wires sitting in her yard for days.
She said she called Nashville Electric Service multiple times to report the problem and also contacted 911, but as far as she knows, no one came to fix it until Wednesday.
"I don't know what happened, but I felt like I was invisible, just invisible, like nobody was ever going to help me," Baird said.
The help she did receive came from friends like Mark Butler, who works for a licensed electrical contractor and came to assess the situation.
"I came back yesterday and verified that both lines the one that goes to the main to her house and her street light were hot, and laying on the ground," Butler said.
Baird reached out to NewsChannel 5 when she was near her breaking point.
"I have cried and cried and cried and cried," Baid said. "I can't believe it's gonna be warm in the house tonight.”
While she’s happy to have her power back, she expressed frustration about the lack of communication from Nashville Electric Service, especially regarding the downed power lines in her yard.
This story was reported on-air by Robb Coles and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Coles verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Do you have more information about this story? You can email me at robb.coles@newschannel5.com.
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