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Prices hit low income, elderly residents hard
McCOOK, Nebraska -- The sky-rocketing price of propane is sending Barb Ostrum's blood pressure sky-high.
Barb is the community service coordinator of the McCook office of Community Action Partnership of Mid-Nebraska which provides services for the low-income and elderly, and she's helping as many people as she can with as much propane as she can using what funds she has available.
The price of a gallon of propane has escalated from about $2 a gallon last week to anywhere up to $6 a gallon this week. Barb said she would hope that extreme winter weather back East wouldn't affect homeowners as badly as it has in the Midwest.
A shortage of propane coincides with extreme cold temperatures in the eastern and southern United States. As colder-than-normal temperatures have spread across much of the country, propane supplies have dropped to the lowest level ever during the second week of January.
According to the U.S. Energy Information Association, about 5.5 million homes are heated with propane, mostly in rural areas.
Barb is very worried about the price of propane and those who heat their homes with it, especially the low-income and the elderly. "It's ugly ... it's really ugly," she said this morning. "I've had people tell me, 'Well, we'll just go without,' but they can't do that. We've got at least another month-and-a-half of cold weather."
Barb said she has families who moved to the country for the improved lifestyle for their children, and are now being socked with exorbitant propane prices to keep their homes comfortable.
Barb said she is usually able to help with 100 gallons of propane, "but that won't get people through a week when it's cold. And that's running the thermostat low and trying to conserve as much as possible."
Barb said some propane-users have been fortunate enough to have pre-contracted for their propane needs, "but that requires good credit, and the ability to keep their bills paid."
For help with any type of heating bills (electric, natural gas, propane), Barb accesses a fund called "Share the Heat," a local/McCook-area program that accepts donations and conducts local fund-raisers to keep it funded. "Share the Heat money is what I use, but it won't put a dent in this need," Barb said. Share the Heat is set up to help those who do not qualify for assistance from other entities or state programs, she said.
People having trouble paying their propane bills can contact Barb at (308) 345-1187. Those who want to help can donate to "Share the Heat," calling Barb at the same phone number.