HYATTSVILLE, Md. -
Beatrice Mananga is counting out silverware for customers she may not have. At her Hyattsville, Md. restaurant, Kitchen Near You, Mananga lost power last Friday because of storms. It was out all weekend.
On Friday, in 102 degree heat, she lost power again. And no power means, no customers.
"It doesn't make sense," says Mananga. "I'm here to make money. If I don't make money, how do I pay my workers? How do I pay my landlord? How do I pay my taxes?"
Pepco says a feeder tripped because wires were down across the street from the restaurant. Crews got the power back on, but at the restaurant, the air conditioning still won't fire back up. It's not good on a day when Mananga says it is hotter here than in her native Cameroon.
The most refreshing part of Cynthia Moore-Johnson's day is reaching into a cooler on the truck she drives. She works for Barney Neighborhood House. They deliver meals for D.C.'s Office on Aging.
She says she worries more on days like this.
"If we knock at a door [and] a person doesn't answer, we'll immediately get our chart and we'll call," says Moore-Johnson. "Normally, when they hear us, they'll yell or say 'I'm coming' or 'Thank you."'
