Xcel Energy continues to help customers who lost power due to the winter storm

More than 400 employees and contractors are continuing to respond to customers who lost power due to the severe winter storm on Wednesday.

Strong winds, combined with snow knocked out power to a total of approximately 41,000 customers. As of 7 a.m., 40,500 customers have had power restored while 500 remain without power.

According to Xcel Energy, when it comes to restoring power, top priority is given to situations that threaten public safety, such as live downed wires. Repair priority is based on what will restore power to the largest number of customers most quickly, such as transmission lines or feeder lines that serve large amounts of customers.

“We know it’s the holiday season and we thank our customers for their patience and understanding as our employees respond to power outages,” said Lee Nordby, director of control center operations, Xcel Energy-Minnesota. “Our employees are working hard in difficult conditions to quickly and safely restore electric service.”

Customers can help Xcel Energy get a jump on power restoration by reporting outages. Customers have a number of ways to report their outage.

• Xcel Energy mobile app available on iOS and Android
• Online at xcelenergy.com/out
• Text ‘OUT’ to 98936 to report an outage, or text STAT to the same number to check the status of a power outage.
• Call 1-800-895-1999 and follow the prompts—the automated phone reporting system lets customers report outages in less than 60 seconds. Once the cause of the problem is identified, the system or an Xcel Energy representative will provide customers with an estimated restoration time.

If outages occur, customers need to have access to the most recent updates about their power restoration. Customers can stay informed by visiting the Xcel Energy website or by downloading the mobile app available on iOS and Android. Additionally, the website hosts an outage map that displays information on the number of customers out and anticipated time for restoration. Customers can also stay informed by following Xcel Energy on Facebook and Twitter.