Tropical Storm Irma left Roswell’s Hembree Farms community trapped inside their own neighborhood because power lines tangled up in fallen trees blocked the only road into and out of their neighborhood.
Only Georgia Power could free them, but the utility had no one to send.
“We’ve been stuck here since Monday afternoon, with no way in, no way out of the neighborhood,” said Brenda Majumdar.
People were trapped behind a tangle of trees and power lines that blocked Hembree Circle.
City of Roswell first responders showed up Monday afternoon during the storm to help, but found there was nothing they could do because of power lines tangled up in trees.
Majumdar says that’s when she, Del Doolive and others in the neighborhood realized they were all in big trouble.
“We had people miss their chemo appointments,” Doolive said. “We have one lady who’s eight and a half months pregnant. Another person needed gasoline for her generator for her home dialysis. People were trapped. We couldn’t get emergency services into the neighborhood if someone was called.”
Finally, on Wednesday, after dozens of calls to Georgia Power, the utility sent a crew to clear the lines and trees from the street.
Georgia Power spokesman John Kraft said he’s not aware if the crews responding to the thousands of downed trees and power lines across metro Atlanta ever got word about the urgency of this case.
“I hope that they understand when a neighborhood is blocked and you’ve got 150-200 people that can’t get in or out, there’s an issue there and it needs to be addressed,” Doolive said.
Power is still out in the neighborhood.
