'It's just going to take a while'; Thousands continue without power in Springfield

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — "At night when I'm going to sleep, I've never had that much total darkness and total silence," John Wyrsch said. "There's nothing and it's different."

As thousands remain without power in Springfield, many are adapting the change.

"I have a barbecue grill, so that's what we have been cooking on, and I just been kind of cooking as much as I can, going through my freezer and seeing what's thawing and cooking that each day," Darnella McDowell said. "Pretty soon, I'm going to be running out of charcoal. I actually have some ice coming today from Walmart and I got a cooler."

"It's a bummer," Randy Ruzicka said. "I'm afraid I'm going to lose everything in my fridge right here in my freezer, but other than that, I'm doing okay. The good Lord has spared me."

"Well, it's been boring," Brenda Christmas said. "I have enough battery powered lighting to get through the evening. So we've been playing cards in the evenings and going to bed fairly early and, you know, just not cooking. We have bought ice and bought two bags of ice so far. We may have to get another one, and also going out for morning in the car for the coffee thing and charging everything."

"I started to go to the basement and instinctively just turn the switch on," Wyrsch said. "Of course nothing happened and I caught myself and but I carry around a flashlight at night at all time."

Those who spoke to Ozarks First say they remain without power since severe weather pummeled the Springfield area on Tuesday.

"It's been pretty hard because, I mean, we don't have hot water, you know, no electricity," McDowell said. "It's hard time getting dressed in the morning and at nighttime, walking around with like lights, trying to go to back and forth in the hallways and still trying to clean my house."

"I went and got this generator from a friend of mine," Ruzicka said. "It's wonderful to have friends. It's a blessing."

One concern many have is the chances they may have to discard cold food items, and some have already had to do it.

"So far we've been avoiding that because trash is tomorrow," Christmas said. "So we'll wait until then, probably tonight or early in the morning. We'll be filling of at least two trash bags full of food to get rid of."

"I would say about $300 to $400 worth total counting frozen meat," Wyrsch said.

Those Ozarks First spoke to say they're hoping power can be restored soon as crews work around the clock in Springfield.

"It's been pretty hectic," McDowell said. "I'm just hoping, you know, they get to everybody soon."

"I understand they only do so much in so amount of time," Christmas said. "And it is just so widespread. It's just going to take a while. You've got to be patient."

"I am adaptable, so I'm fine with it, and I know they're working as hard as they can," Wyrsch said.

City Utilities of Springfield said for some outages, it could be until next week until repairs are made.