At 12:30 Wednesday afternoon, Matthew Steele's house in Meadowview, Virginia lost power. "I woke up this morning and my thermostat said 39 and you could see your breath," said Steele.
Despite a kerosene heater, gloves and hats, Steele, his girlfriend and three children could not take the cold any longer. "We tried to tough it out, but I had to do something for the kids," said Steele. He first considered going to a hotel, "but renting a motel room for a couple of nights just gets so expensive," said Steele.
So, instead, he brought his family to the Red Cross shelter at the Abingdon United Methodist Church. "I feel very comfortable here, you couldn't ask for anybody to treat you any better," said Steele.
Upstairs Franklin Balthis sipped a mug of hot coffee, thankful for warmth after a restless sleep in freezing temperatures Wednesday night. "I froze, no heat, no lights, I had to sleep in my jacket," said Balthis. His Abingdon apartment lost power Wednesday, causing his thermostat to plummet.
For a full video report, click play above.
Email
Facebook
Google
Twitter
Favorites
More
Advertisement