COLORADO SPRINGS — One week after a windstorm swept through southern Colorado, Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU) announced all of its customers have power once again.
We are happy to report that all customers who have been out of power since the storm were safely restored early Wednesday morning.
Colorado springs utilities
According to CSU, since emergency response began on Wednesday, Dec. 15, it has addressed more than 1,000 system issues and has restored service to about 47,000 customers.
Now that power has been restored, crews are dedicating their time to clean-up efforts. Below is CSU’s current plan:
Conduct final customer outreach and restoration to ensure all impacted customers are safely back in service.Hundreds of dedicated public servants will continue to support the recovery efforts for our community this holiday week. This includes not only electric and tree trimming crews but also employees who have supported 24/7 operations since Wednesday, including customer services, water and gas operations, engineering, supply chain, public affairs and finance personnel.Field staff will focus on deliberate, intentional final repair work. In many cases, we’ve got power back online with temporary solutions that need final assessment and permanent repair. This means some customers whose power was restored will experience temporary, short duration (usually less than 30 minutes) planned outages in the coming days. This is necessary to make final system repairs. We will attempt to notify these customers in advance of this using an automated phone message.The community can help by helping and caring for friends and neighbors affected by the storm. Please continue to check on those who are among those most vulnerable – the elderly, the disabled, the sick.
Downed trees
Any tree limbs or debris in electric lines or that impedes access to our infrastructure will be removed by our crews and contractors.Fallen trees on private property are the responsibility of the property owner. Here is a list of tree/debris removal companies.Fallen trees on City property rights-of-way (between sidewalks and the street) or in City parks and trails will be cleared by City crews. Please report downed trees through the City’s GoCOS! Mobile app or call (719) 385-ROAD.
Customer assistance
Visit area food banks for food for holiday meals. Call 211 for information and assistance related to tree and debris removal, discarding spoiled food and other storm-event related needs.
Safety
Do not use ovens, stoves or camping stoves for heat to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Customers should not connect generators to their homes themselves. Only those generators that have been professionally installed according to local building code can be used as a temporary power source. Generators incorrectly connected may back feed our system and shock electrical workers. If plugging appliances into generators, they must be located outside to avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Customers who need to repair fences should contact colorado811.org to have utility lines marked before digging. If you see a downed power line or trees in a power line, do not go near the area. Do not touch the lines. Call (719) 448-4800 to report it. Never attempt to move a power line or a tree in a power line yourself. We dispatch employees as wire guards to keep the public away from downed lines until we are able to fix them. When temperatures drop below freezing allow your kitchen faucet to run at a slow drip and keep under sink cabinet doors open to avoid frozen water lines. Check the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s recommendations related to food safety if you have experienced a power outage.
Claims
Customers seeking reimbursement for spoiled food, or a hotel room should submit a claim with their homeowners or renters’ insurance.
Reporting outages
If you experience an electric outage, check our outage map. If your outage is not visible, please report it through the map or call us at (719) 448-4800.
