BILLINGS — After a storm with wind gusts reaching up to 63 mph ripped through Billings Sunday night around 7:30, fallen tree branches could be seen throughout the city.
Some residents lost power, but many regained it the same night. It's a different story for Kat Johnson and her family, who are grappling with an unprecedented mess.
“The power line went down, snapped off the pole, and it ripped off the meter and part of our fuse box. So, we have no power whatsoever,” Johnson said on Monday. “(The power line) was a live wire until about 4, 4:30 this morning. Just lying there.”
With a fridge full of food, her father on oxygen and only one small solar generator to go between the fridge and the supplemental oxygen, Johnson is worried they’ll be in the dark for a while because of a NorthWestern Energy policy.
“Calling NorthWestern Energy this morning to see when the power is going to get back up, they said, well, you have to fix the box first," Johnson said. "How are we supposed to do that? I mean, it's expensive. And she said to call an electrician and that was it.”
According to NorthWestern, the meter base, wiring, masts and all electrical devices and appliances inside the home are considered customer-owned equipment.
“I'm frustrated because it happened and it's kind of scary. You know, we don't, electricity is really scary," Johnson said. "Expenses are out of control and how are people going to be able to afford something like this?"
Across town, Jonathan Martinez, the owner of 4 Seasons Tree Service, was busy cleaning branches Monday.
“I got 13 phone calls this morning,” Martinez said. “If it's an emergency and you don't have the means to take care of it, let us know. Talk to us. We're not going to let somebody go without being helped just because of some situation in their life.”
Martinez said it's not just the clean-up that matters, but tree maintenance is key to preventing the damage.
“The most crucial time for a tree is in the spring to get pruned, get them cleaned out, because when these late summer storms start coming in, they cause severe damage,” Martinez said.
