ST. LOUIS — Four days without power and counting. Recent storms damaged the power infrastructure.
Thousands of Ameren Missouri customers remain without air conditioning during the hottest days of the year, and relief is still days away.
Walnut Park East resident, Andretta Alexander told 5 On Your Side her house thermostat has read 90 to 100 degrees
"It was hot out here, so I had to sleep in my car and everything because I had no power," Alexander said.
Alexander saw this day coming all the way back in 2020.
"I want to say October of 2020, because it was fall. The pole was leaning with the transformer on it and I called Ameren and told them to come out here and look at it. They looked out here, but he said it's fine, it hasn't fell."
Nothing was done in 2020 and Alexander was left hoping for the best.
"I said if a good wind comes, one day it's going to blow down. You know what I'm saying, it's going to fall in my yard," Alexander told 5 On Your Side. "And what happened the wind came and the storm came like four days ago and it blew it in my yard, transformer and all."
5 On Your Side called Ameren to get answers for Alexander, a spokesperson said her power should be back on late Wednesday night.
Across the street from her is a different story.
"I do have lines down in my backyard and I've called them every day since the lines have been down," Carlton McKinney Jr. told 5 On Your Side. "I have not gotten nobody out here to see about the lines. Every time I call, 'oh yeah we'll put a ticket in, I'll put another ticket in'. Nobody has come out to even look at the lines."
Ameren told 5 On Your Side they were working to assist every customer they can. Unfortunately for McKinney, the lines to his house will require more work and Ameren expects it to take days.
"I did not think it was going to take this long, because when I called them, they said they had help coming from Ohio and Illinois," McKinney tells 5 On Your Side, "They said they were going to get on it as quickly as possible. I was like ok great, maybe everything would be ok by Monday or Tuesday."
On Monday, Ameren told him a crew would be out Tuesday. McKinney even got a text Tuesday saying power would be restored. It was not, and he is waiting.