250 Xcel Energy employees, contractors head to Louisiana to help with Hurricane Laura recovery
Buildings and homes are damaged in the aftermath of Hurricane Laura Thursday, Aug. 27, 2020, near Lake Charles, La.[David J. Phillip/Associated Press]
Xcel Energy said Friday that it is sending about 250 employees and contractors from Minnesota, Colorado, New Mexico, Texas and Wisconsin to Louisiana to help with power restoration after Hurricane Laura.
Hurricane Laura left about 670,000 customers without electricity after it hit earlier this week.
Weakened but still dangerous, Laura to pose continued threat
"We want to assist the people affected by Hurricane Laura and are honored to be part of this restoration effort," said Larry Crosby, senior vice president, distribution operations-Xcel Energy. "This is a massive undertaking with extensive damage, but our crews are ready to bring power back on safely – it’s what we would do for our own customers and we want to deliver that same quality of service to the people of Louisiana."
Crews are expected to begin work this weekend with efforts likely to last a couple of weeks.