Jungle Jim’s in Fairfield reopens following long power outage

Credit: Nick Graham

Credit: Nick Graham

Jungle Jim’s International Market has reopened today after being without power since Monday evening following a storm that knocked out power to thousands in southwest Ohio.

Phill Adams, development director at Jungle Jim’s, said the power was restored Tuesday night and staff is in “restock mode” leading up to the store’s noon re-opening.

“Please bear with us as we get all the products you know and love back on the shelves,” said Adams in a message to the market’s customers. “Frozen and refrigerated products like ice cream, milk, and chicken will be in short supply but we are working hard to restock in those areas over the next week or two.”

Adams told the Journal-News he had been watching the storm before it hit the region as it was moving east from Indianapolis, where it hit before entering Ohio. His daughter lives there and told him of the storm’s impact.

“We reacted very, very quickly (Monday) night,” Adams had told the Journal-News Tuesday morning. “We watched it, and when it hit, the power went out. We all reacted.”

Winds reached up to 70 miles per hour during the system that affected the region. Thousands are still without power as of Wednesday morning, but Duke Energy had called in reinforcements from Indiana, Kentucky and North Carolina to assist in the massive outage.

In Hamilton, which operates its own electric utility, there are about 150 customers without power, according to the city.

Outages were happening at a time of high heat as well — it’s the first big heat wave of the season with temperatures climbing into the high 90s and feeling like they are in the 100s.

Every perishable item at Jungle Jim’s was removed from the floor displays and into walk-in coolers, and some product is in refrigerated tractor-trailers. They were using generators, but Adams said it was not sufficient to keep the store open for business.

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