First responders hand out dry ice as thousands still left in dark in Dearborn
DEARBORN, Mich. (CBS DETROIT) - From homes, to filling up your tank to picking up takeout, thousands in Dearborn are still in the dark.
"Even under the blankets, it's really cold," Dina, a resident without power told CBS News Detroit Thursday.
At Henry Ford Centennial Library, Dearborn Police and Fire packed up free bags of dry ice for residents including Dearborn public information officer Cpl. Dan Bartok.
"This is an all hands on deck approach," Bartok says.
Officers like Daniel Gutierrez also pitched in by greeting residents, checking IDs for residency and placing the dry ice in the back seat of each car.
"The dry ice can last up to 48 hours," Gutierrez explained to one resident.
For resident Jamal Beydoun, it could not have come at a better time.
"We need some dry ice to keep it o keep the meat fresh. And without meat, we can't do anything," Beydoun said.
Assistant Fire Chief Steven Densmore says it's also being used to help save medical supplies from being spoiled.
"You're a diabetic or you have any type of insulin in your house that has to be kept cool once opened. So what we would like you to do is take a tray, put the dry ice and put on your top shelf. That way, the cooling effect of the ice will come down and come in to the lower level of your refrigerator and keep everything cool," Densmore says.
But for some residents, power isn't their only problem. Near Gulley and Cherry Hill Road, crews are worked around the clock, cut down trees with chainsaws and utilized wood chippers to minimize any storm damage in the roads with the hope they won't leave others waiting with the lights off much longer.
First responders are scheduled to continue providing free dry ice to Dearborn residents on Friday from 2 p.m. - 8 p.m. at Reckinger Road between Centennial Library and the Dearborn Police Department.