BARBOURSVILLE, W.Va. (WSAZ) -- The power outage has forced hundreds of thousands of people to throw all the food out of their freezers.

In some cases they're losing hundreds of dollars worth.

Now that the power is coming back on in a lot of homes, grocery stores have been packed as people come in to restock their fridges.

Sam and Minnie Chafin went to the Barboursville Tower Food Fair after their power came back on.

"The only thing we salvaged was a watermelon," Sam said.

They're hosting a 4th of July family picnic. They say preparing for it feels like Groundhog Day.

“We'd just filled it (the freezer) for the holiday, so now we have to do it all over again," Minnie said.

Angela Forth's family enjoyed a relaxing vacation at the beach. For them, coming back to reality was particularly trying.

"It was really hot in the house, and everything in the refrigerator was ruined," she said.

Their freezer's back up and running, and to be ready for the holiday, they’re buying their Independence Day food a second time.

"We're going to have a good time and forget about all the bad stuff, just try to enjoy ourselves," she said.

After Tuesday night’s storm, some people are without power again and may have to throw their food out for the second time in just a few days.