Power Being Restored To Those Left In Dark During Winter Storm
DENVER (CBS4) - Wet, heavy snow knocked down some branches and trees in the Denver metro area, causing multiple power outages.
Xcel Energy said they had more than 100,000 customers without power by Wednesday afternoon. About a third of those customers had power restored by 9 p.m.
Power was out across much of Loveland and Greeley, two areas with some of the most snow accumulation.
Included among the customers without power at 9 p.m. Wednesday were:
- Xcel Energy: 61,986
- 2,000 City of Loveland
- United Power: 780
- Poudre Valley REA 8,000
At one time Wednesday afternoon, more than 35,000 people were without power in Greeley and 16,000 without power in the Boulder/Broomfield areas.
Crews are working around the clock to restore electrical power to approximately 2,000 Loveland area customers. Residents are advised not to be alarmed by power workers in local neighborhoods and backyards.
As many as 10,000 customers initially experienced an outage that began at approximately at 9 p.m., Oct. 25.
Officials said some of the power outages might take more than 24 hours to be fixed.
"If you have one outage that affects 5,000 customers, but if you have 100, you have to fix each one of those outages," said Xcel Energy spokesman Mark Stutz.
Greeley and the Red Cross opened a warming shelter for those Greeley residents who are without power. The shelter opened at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Island Grove Park Exhibition Building, 501 N. 14th Ave. The shelter will remain open through Thursday morning to provide relief from the cold for those without power. Pets are not allowed in the shelter.
Longmont opened an emergency shelter at the St. Vrain Memorial Building, 700 Longs Peak Ave. at 2 p.m. Wednesday. Anyone without power is invited to stay overnight. A hotline number for sheltering information is 303-651-8595.
The City of Loveland Emergency Operations Center, Loveland Water and Power Dispatch as well as a Red Cross shelter at Thompson Valley High School will be open 24 hours until power is restored. The Thompson Valley High School shelter is providing food, water, cots and bedding.
Additional Resources
If you have a power outage to report or if you see downed power lines...
- Call Xcel Energy at (800) 895-1999
- Call 311 if you have downed trees and you live in Denver or Denver County
- If you live in Aurora and have downed trees, call (303) 739-7000
- You can also call 911
Xcel Energy has a special section of their website where they display power outage locations on a map.
