Xcel makes progress restoring power after major windstorms in TX & NM

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Update 7:00 p.m. 3/15: According to Xcel Energy, “crews have restored power for more than 90% of customers affected by a major windstorm yesterday in Texas and New Mexico. As of 7 p.m. CDT today, about 4,500 customers are without power, down from about 68,000 late yesterday afternoon.”

Xcel said, in their most recent release, that most customers still without power are “likely to be restored today or tomorrow, however, given the significant damage to power lines in some areas, work in some rural areas may last into Monday.”

Residents can stay updated on the status of their outage on Xcel’s outage map, which is updated with estimated restoration times when they’re available.

Xcel says that “while new outages may occur at any time, generally, remaining outages are expected to be restored” on the following timelines:

• By the end of today, all the New Mexico communities Xcel serves should be restored.
• In Texas, by the end of today, communities in and around Seminole, Lubbock, Levelland, Littlefield, and Dumas should be largely restored.
• Most customers in Plainview, Texas are expected be restored tonight, though some outages may extend into tomorrow.
• Those with outages in Hereford, Canyon, and surrounding communities are expected to be restored by mid-afternoon on Sunday.
• Customers in and around Amarillo, Pampa, and Borger, where storm damage is most widespread, are likely to be restored by the end of the day Sunday, however outages for some of the most rural customers could extend into Monday.

Original Story: After Friday’s catastrophic windstorms, many of the thousands left without power have regained power as crews work on total restoration.

According to Xcel, as of Saturday afternoon, Xcel Energy crews have restored power to “more than 80% of customers affected by yesterday’s extreme windstorm in Texas and New Mexico.”

The restoration efforts have 55,000 customers back online, with 11,000 still without power.

In a press release sent Saturday afternoon, Xcel Energy said “more than 450 Xcel Energy crew members and contractors, including crews from Colorado, are on site assessing damage and making repairs so they can restore power. They are also using drones and helicopters to speed up the process.”

With widespread damage, power restoration times for individual customers will vary based several factors. Current restoration estimates are:

• A majority of customers in southeastern New Mexico have been restored.
• Those in the Lubbock area are likely to be restored today.
• For those in or between the Amarillo, TX and Clovis, NM region, where damage is most extensive, Xcel expects some customers to be out until early next week.

Xcel says that customers can stay updated on the status of their outage on their outage map, which will be updated with estimated restoration times when they’re available.