Heat makes Milwaukee-area power outages hard to bear

FRANKLIN, Wis. - The combination of no power, extreme heat and no air conditioning made for a miserable Tuesday, June 14 for thousands in southeast Wisconsin.

Storms knocked out power to 45,000, and We Energies officials said it might take until 7 p.m. Tuesday for power to be restored for some.

For the last 63 years, Dorothy Roubik-Ellenbecker has called Franklin home.

"The wind took down trees everywhere in our neighborhood," said Roubik-Ellenbecker.

Monday night's storm came through fast.

"The rain was coming down so torrentially," said Roubik-Ellenbecker. "It was just crazy wind blowing."

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A tree fell onto the power lines below.

"We heard a crack around 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and then I looked out the dining room window and I saw that a tree had cracked," said Roubik-Ellenbecker.

Similar situations left thousands in the area left without power.

"We had to bring specialized equipment, specialized forestry crews," said Brendan Conway, We Energies. "They’re cutting back all the branches. That’s taking some time."

At times, crews could only use a handsaw.

"This was a wicked storm," said Conway. "For some reason, there must’ve been a strong line from, basically, the southern part of Milwaukee County, Hales Corners, Franklin, down through Oak Creek, all the way to the lake."

Conway said 500 people from across the state were helping restore power in the wake of the storms.

"The sun’s definitely hot, you know," said Roubik-Ellenbecker.

Roubik-Ellenbecker said even in Tuesday's heat, she was able to stay cool.

"With our brick house and the trees back here, it’s staying very cool in the house because we don’t have it open," said Roubik-Ellenbecker.