Franklin Heights residents wait hours on porches to see power restoration

MILWAUKEE — It was a long wait for relief for people living on one block in Milwaukee's Franklin Heights neighborhood.

The power outages have created a massive issue for tens of thousands here in the Greater Milwaukee area.

Thursday marked another scorching day without power for thousands in Milwaukee. In the 3800 block of North 28th Street, one could hear the constant buzz of generators as neighbors spent hours on their porches to keep cool.

“My cousin is still without power, so we’re just here to support her,” said Shelia Avant, who spent the day visiting a relative who lost power.

Up the road there was Ben Munoz, who recently had a heart attack. He relies on a machine to deal with recurring fights with sleep apnea.

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“The issue is when it starts, I might not wake back up,” Munoz said. “I need the breathing machine and the electricity.”

As some, like Munoz, could only helplessly wait, others worked to clear roads of fallen trees.

“Trying to see where people needed the help, and we’ve just been out here since then,” said Vaun Mays, who worked with his organization, CommFORCE Milwaukee, to clear the street of trees.

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We Energies said more than 225,000 people lost power, marking the largest mass restoration effort in its history.

“We expect by midnight tonight we would have restored 200,000 customers,” said We Energies President Tom Metcalfe.

On 28th Street, power slowly came back online Thursday afternoon.

“It’s the little things, thank you!” Janae Smith said as her power came back on. She was planning to stay at a hotel with her daughter.

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“Me and my daughter finna sleep good tonight in our own beds,” she said.

As will many others who can finally block out those candles and sleep comfortably inside their homes again, as power slowly trickles back online in another neighborhood.

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