Norman businesses are facing significant losses after storms knocked out power, leaving them in the dark. The storms, which hit on the Fourth of July, caused widespread power outages, affecting over 6,000 people in Norman.

Many businesses, including restaurants, were forced to close their doors due to the lack of electricity. Jennifer Dennis, with Othello’s in Norman, said the power outage has already cost her business around $10,000. “It’s a total loss of our food products. Our coolers are down. Our freezer is down. There’s nothing we can do. We don’t have a generator to keep that going. Our staff is out of work. We have hourly employees that depend on tips and hourly wages. They can’t come to work,” Dennis said.

Community Comes Together

The city of Norman is working to clear debris and restore power to affected areas. Oklahoma Gas and Electric Company expects to have everyone’s lights back on by Tuesday. The city will then work on cleanup.

Despite the challenges, business owners in Norman are trying to stay optimistic. Dennis said her business has faced tough times before, including a fire in 2017 that forced them to close for 17 months. “This is just another story for our book or another chapter that’s going to come in our book of, you know, coming back stronger,” Dennis said.

Original reporting: Oklahoma City News Feed (HLL/CB) — read the source article.