Waukesha opens Expo Center as warming facility. Customers scramble for generators, snow blowers.
The Waukesha County Expo Center will serve as a warming facility for thousands of residents contending with persistent power outages.
That announcement came Saturday afternoon, as more than 73,000 area residents face power outages due to Friday's winter storm. Milwaukee and Waukesha County account for 66,000 of the outages.
Officials are especially concerned because of bitter cold coming Saturday night and strong winds expected early Sunday morning.
Across southeast Wisconsin, customers packed hardware stores to stock up on generators, snow blowers, ice melt salt and shovels.
On Saturday afternoon, the Journal Sentinel visited and called hardware stores to see how customers were fairing in finding winter weather supplies.
Cindy Mason, an Elm Grove resident, returned from a family trip to Florida to find that her home had lost power. Over the past 24 hours, she said her family watched the temperature on their thermostat drop from 75 degrees to 55.
She scoured the depleted store shelves of Elliot Ace Hardware in Elm Grove for 1-K Grade Kerosene to fuel her family's only non-electric heater.
"Our neighbor told us that a power pole in his backyard snapped in half, so we think that's probably what's affecting our house too," Mason said.
Mason hopes a fix to her neighborhood's electricity problems will come before Sunday but are looking toward other potential options for shelter with neighbors and family members. She said she received little information from We Energies about when their heat would be restored.
"Part of me wishes I stayed in Florida," she joked.
In Elm Grove, 2,085 We Energies customers are experiencing power outages.
Brookfield resident Scott Jastram said his power has been out since 2:30 p.m. Friday. Though he was able to buy a generator Saturday morning, he visited Ace Hardware in Elm Grove to find out if it was advisable to use the generator for his furnace.
"I've been looking online and some people say it's okay and others say you absolutely shouldn't," he said. "Learning how to work a generator is a whole different thing."
Though Jastram has lived in Wisconsin for 30 years, he said Friday's storm took him by surprise with downed trees and power lines, intense winds and heavy snow.
"It was unlike any storm we've had in recent years." Jastram said. On Saturday morning, he spent over 3 hours trying to clear snow out of his driveway with a snowblower and didn't know what to expect in terms of getting his power back on.
"There are so many outages and the snow is just heavy, hopefully people can get heaters and power back soon," he said.
Stores like Ace Hardware in Elm Grove, Menards in Waukesha, Home Depot warehouses on Bluemound and Capitol began running out of backup generators and snowblowers between Friday evening and early Saturday. Many of the stores have requested emergency restocks that will come in over the next few days.
Blain's Farm & Fleet on Kossow Rd is one of few hardware stores with generators left in stock. A customer representative from the store said the business restocked over 60 Champion and Generac generators on Saturday afternoon.
Kayla Grey, a Garden Associate at Home Depot on Capitol Drive, told the Journal Sentinel that dozens flowed through the store on Saturday morning seeking to buy winter weather products that were sold out.
She advised local residents to use this storm as a guide for emergency essentials they should stock up on for the next big storm and winter season.
"You might think it's not going to snow a lot, but you never know. When everyone rushes to buy things last minute is when safety becomes a problem," she said.
Grey recommended that Wisconsin residents consider investing in backup generators, snowblowers, portable heaters and propane gas canisters and storing them safely ahead of big storms.
We Energies says most power will be restored overnight
On Saturday afternoon, Milwaukee Mayor Cavalier Johnson and several other public officials gathered for a press conference.
During the press conference, We Energies Vice President of Wisconsin Field Operations Dave Megna said that the company anticipates that it will restore power for 85% of affected customers and hopes to resolve 95% of outages by Sunday morning.
A "deep freeze" due to Saturday's drastic drop in temperature is anticipated to cause additional challenges for drivers and general street clearing according to Milwaukee Commissioner of Public Works Jerrel Kruschke.
Public health officials recommended residents without power seek warm shelter and trying to reduce exposure to cold as they await power restoration.
Warming centers offer refuge to Milwaukee residents without power
Milwaukee County's Hillview, 1615 S. 22nd St.
Greater Galilee Baptist Church, 2432 N. Teutonia Ave.
Guest House Milwaukee, 1216 N. 13th St.
Repairers of the Breach, 1335 W. Vliet St.
The Milwaukee Rescue Mission, 830 N. 19th St.
St. Ben's, 930 W. State St. (only open when the temperature is 25 degrees or below)
This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Thousands without power in Milwaukee area leads to big generator sales
