South Side Woman Left With Downed Power, Cable Lines In Her Yard For Days
CHICAGO (CBS) -- A South Side woman says a web of downed power and cable lines sat in her apartment building's backyard for days, and despite multiple phone calls to her power company, no one came out to inspect the problem -- until she called CBS 2.
Stella Evans says her problems started Friday night, when a large part of a tree came crashing down and brought several lines down with it.
A helpful neighbor removed that part of the tree, but the damage had cut off her power and cable.
The power turned back on Saturday -- but the tangled web of cables was still there. She said she's been calling ComEd to come fix the problem since Saturday morning.
"ComEd is saying it's not a hazard," Evans said.
Hazard or not, kids living in the apartment building want to play in the yard, and the tenants want to use it for Labor Day. Evans not only lives in the building but also her mother has owned it for decades.
Despite her calls, Evans said no one from ComEd showed up.
"So finally I said, 'I watch channel 2 all the time,'" Evans said. "Let me reach out to see if they can help."
About an hour after CBS 2 called ComEd, a crew arrived at the home.
Evans explained her struggles to the workers, and one of them apologized to her. Evans told him it wasn't his fault.
The crew shut off the power again Wednesday and told Evans they'd "de-energized" a power line.
A ComEd spokesperson said the crew repaired power lines at the home. But even then, the tangled web remained.
The crew told Evans they could only do so much because some of the lines belonged to a cable or phone company.
"I don't know which ones belong to Comcast and which ones belong to ComEd," Evans said to CBS 2.
Just before 3 p.m., a Comcast crew showed up and started scoping out the area and working on the lines. The neighboring property was also affected, and the crews appeared to be working on both properties.
A Comcast spokesperson said late Wednesday afternoon the crew had started working to clear out the remaining wires from Evans' yard.
To make matters even more complicated, the ComEd crew told Evans that at least one piece of damaged equipment belonged to the property owner--Evans' mother. Evans said late Wednesday afternoon that an electrician was on the way to make some repairs.
A ComEd worker gave her a phone number and said to call after the repairs were done so ComEd could finish their work.
She hopes, when that happens, her power will be back on for good and the tangled web of cables and confusion will be gone.
