Americans Amazing Feats Against Storm and Heat

"We're tough, we'll make it. West Virginians -- we can make it."

The lack of power and limited food supply have put her in the same boat as millions of others this week.

As of early Wednesday morning, about 1.1 million customers scattered across 11 states, from Indiana to Delaware, had no electricity, down from about 1.8 million late Monday -- and a peak of 4 million over the weekend. A household is considered one customer, so the actual number of people without power is higher.

West Virginia Gov. Earl Ray Tomblin said about 300,000 customers were without power in his state Wednesday morning.

Parts of his state as well as South Dakota, Iowa and Nebraska were under heat advisory warnings Wednesday.

Excessive heat warnings were in place for portions of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Missouri, Illinois and Kentucky. The National Weather Service said that those areas would be scorched with temperatures near or above triple digits.

As Americans celebrate Independence Day on Wednesday, many in the affected regions are focused on finding ways to get by until power can finally be restored.

Eddie Harmon and his family in South Charleston, West Virginia, have spent nights sleeping in the car just to avoid the oppressive heat inside their home. One of his daughters has gone to stay with her grandmother, who has a generator.

He walked to visit some neighbors to make sure they're OK, he said in an iReport.

Getting around is tough because many gas stations have run out of supplies. People are running out of cash as well and the ATMs have run out, he said.

Ironically, a previous power outage paid off, he said. His deep-freeze freezer had 3 inches of solid ice at the bottom because of a power outage two winters ago -- and that helped keep some chicken cold enough to be safe for cooking.

"I actually had cold Corn Flakes last night before I went to bed because I had milk that was still good," he said in a YouTube video Tuesday.

Tomblin said Wednesday that while food is in short supply, "we've made a lot of progress" since the storm.

A food drive was under way Wednesday at the Governor's Mansion. People were lined up bringing donations.

There were "mass dumpings" of spoiled food across the state due to the power outages, and grocery stores in many areas still could not open due to lack of electricity, Tomblin said. Officials were sending "about 40 big truckloads of water around the state each day."

The Democrat praised federal officials for their assistance. The Federal Emergency Management Agency "has responded fantastically," providing generators and ice within hours of the state's request, he said.

West Virginians are used to natural disasters, but this one is different, he said. "You don't see a lot of property damage. It's more of the infrastructure-type damage."

Tomblin said, "The biggest problem we have is a lot of the transmission lines, those huge lines that you see crossing from mountaintop to mountaintop. A lot of those towers were destroyed. So, you know, these are on the sides of mountains. They are difficult to get to." Usually, new supplies can be brought in from neighboring states, but those were hit as well in the storm, so supplies are coming from farther away, including Texas, he said.

Also,"We have had other pop-up storms almost every evening. So a lot of people have been knocked out again. But we are making progress, and we will continue to work around the clock until we get the electricity back on to everyone."

Jeanne Campbell was among those who got power back and then lost it again -- meaning more wasted money and more wasted food.

And with the large tree that shaded her house now down, she can't spend much time indoors. "With a tin roof, it's gonna get even hotter now," she said.

But, she added with a smile, she can deal with the inconveniences. "I'm not worried."

David McMann, in Charleston, West Virginia, has paid a price for the storm and lack of power at his home. He raises koi fish and lost three as a result. "It was hard to watch them die, and stand by knowing I had done all I could do." One of the fish "was 15 years old and had become almost a friend, if that is possible," he said in an iReport.

"This has been an expensive storm for us in more ways than one. This was to have been our vacation. Our traveling has been put off, for we do not have any idea when the power will be restored. I am 63 years old and have been through hurricanes in Virginia and Florida. I have never experienced the wrath of nature any stronger than what blew through these mountains on Friday evening."

While some of the most harrowing tales come from West Virginia, people throughout much of the Northeast have been struggling as well.

Mark Cohen sent iReport a video of his destroyed yard and neighborhood in Mays Landing, New Jersey, showing downed trees, smashed cars and damage to his home. "We would have been better off with a tornado," he said.

Cohen, his daughter and his girlfriend have been sleeping in the basement to stay cool.

Despite damage to his home, Cohen is looking at the bigger picture. "When you see this around you -- I'm not an emotional guy -- you quickly think, 'Wow this is nothing. It could have been so much worse,' " he said.

"You think about the people around the country losing their houses and you can't complain. It's inconvenient, but big picture, we're fine."

The heat-driven storm that started Friday left at least 17 people dead from Ohio to New Jersey. Another three in North Carolina died in a second round of storms Sunday.