WORTHINGTON, MISSOURI -- UPDATE:

Since this story was reported, Leona has received many donations. A kerosene lamp and a generator were both left on Leona's back deck by an unknown sender. She has also received $1,000 in donations to help turn her electricity back on. She said she appreciates the gifts very much.

PREVIOUS STORY:

In our current economy, everyday you hear about Americans who are having difficulties financially. But, we typically never expect it to happen to us.

Leona Connell, of Worthington, Missouri, told me she’s an educated woman. She says she obtained a master’s degree and two bachelor’s degrees from the University of Tennesseee, and was once a nurse.

I’m sure she never expected to end up where she’s at now.

Her electricity was recently shut-off due to a series of missed payments. She says congestive heart failure, asthma, crohn’s disease, and diabetes are just a few items on the list of her extensive medical disabilities. She survives on Social Security.

"I sit here and stay warm with my covers, or try to,” said Leona. “Last night was pretty rough. I have candles, but that's all I have and I begged them, I begged them not to turn me off. I told them they could have my whole social security check on the 3rd, but it wasn't enough."

You may be wondering, ‘What about the Cold Weather Rule?’ The Cold Weather Rule prohibits the disconnection of service for registered low-income elderly or disabled customers who make a minimum payment. I spoke with Tri County Electric Cooperative, Inc., the company who shut off service to Leona’s house. Tri County is a municipally operated system, a cooperative, so the Cold Weather Rule does not apply to them.

Tri County General Manager David Ramsey told me everyone who received a disconnection of service was given a phone call, as an advanced warning.

“When someone doesn’t pay their bill, the rest of the members of Tri County have to make up for it,” said Ramsey. “We try to work with anyone who is willing to work with us, but after three months of no contact or payment, we have to make a decision to protect the rest of our membership.”

“He said they’re not in the business of running a charity for people that can't afford to pay, no matter what the problem is,” said Leona, referring to her conversation with Ramsey. “I said, 'But, how can you shut people off like that, [who] don't have the money to pay.' He said they're not federally or state mandated by any municipal utility board."

Ramsey told me he has empathy for Leona, but the company did what they had to because, again, when one customer does not pay, everyone else must pay for them.

"It's just embarrassing,” said Leona. “We don't have anything to eat because there's no way of cooking it. We can't. And, everything that we did have has gone bad, and I have no way of replacing it. It's embarrassing."

I asked Leona where she would go from here.

"I have no place else to go... none,” she said. “I have nobody. This is it.”

Ramsey said the account for Leona’s home is not actually hers; it is under someone else’s name, but he was not at liberty to give me that information. She was told if she wished to turn the electricity back on in her name, she would need to make up for the missed payments, and pay a deposit and a start-up fee.

Leona has been collecting money, but says she is nowhere near the amount she needs. If you would like to help her out, she says you can donate directly to the Tri County account, or contact her at 660-342-4412.