Georgia Power restores electricity for elder who's been in the dark for nearly a month

ATLANTA - A northwest Atlanta senior citizen was sitting in the dark for nearly a month after Hurricane Helene blew through the city and tore down power lines.

The elderly woman had been struggling to get around and even fell and broke her knee since the storm.

But once FOX 5 Atlanta's Aungelique Proctor started asking questions, the woman's power miraculously came back on just before 4 p.m. on Monday.

"I was thinking everybody's power went out, but that wasn't the case," Dr. Regina Sherard told FOX 5.

Sherard said she spends most of her days outside basking and warming in the sun. 

The retired professor had been living without electricity since Helene knocked power out at her home and so many others. 

But Dr. Sherard, who lives alone and on a fixed income, was having a hard time getting around in the dark.

"It has been a crisis for me. I was trying to ambulate around my furniture and different things, and I fell in the house. I broke my knee," Dr. Sherard said. "I didn't realize how dependent I am on power. Trying to keep a charge on my phone, not being able to take a shower, that is my number one, two, three and four."

Dr. Sherard said Georgia Power told her she had to get an electrician to make repairs before they could restore power.

Several electricians have given her quotes to update the wiring and electrical work for her nearly 70-year-old house, but she couldn't afford it.

After FOX 5 Atlanta started asking questions, Georgia Power showed up late Monday afternoon and restored her electricity at no cost to her. 

Georgia Power released a statement that reads in part: "Recognizing her situation, our teams have gone above and beyond and made the repairs necessary to reconnect power to her home today."

"I live alone, and I don't have family to assist me," the retired journalism professor revealed. 

Dr. Sherard said her first priority now will be to take a long, hot shower.