AUSTIN, Texas — Thousands of Austin residents have gone nearly a week without power. Two of them are Judy Evans and her husband, who live in North Austin.
"There is something seriously wrong with what’s going on with the power here. It is not appropriate," Evans said.
As of Tuesday, they were going on day six without power.
“Keep thinking, 'Tomorrow is the day, tomorrow is the day.' He is worn out, you know. I am worn out," Evans said.
It's been a very challenging six days for them dealing with cold temperatures and no heat. Evans' husband has COPD and relies on a machine to give him oxygen.
"[Without it], he cannot breathe. It is a pretty fundamental need to breathe," she said.
Without power, her husband cannot use his normal machine that plugs into the wall. He has had to resort to a battery-operated one.
"It is really not intended for 24-hour use," Evans said.
The couple relies on their neighbors to charge the machine.
"He means a lot, and that's been the hardest – watching him suffer through all of this. You know, it’s not pretty," Evans said.
After six days, Evans said she and her husband are fed up and they are not staying in Austin.
"The City kept telling us tomorrow, tomorrow, tomorrow. And when we got the text this morning, we are like, 'We are out of here,'" Evans said.
The couple plans to head to Dallas to be with family.
Austin Energy said it is hoping to restore power to nearly all customers by Sunday, Feb. 12.