Xcel says 11,000 tornado victims still without power

Erica Williams

Fallen trees have downed power lines throughout the affected areas

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By this morning, that number had been reduced to 11,000 customers. Tom Hoen, an Xcel spokesman, said power should be restored to the majority of those by the end of today.

"One issue that we are seeing as we go forward is accessibility," Hoen said. "There's a lot of downed trees and debris, making access tougher."

Downed power lines and poles can make recovery efforts particularly difficult. To report outages or dangerous conditions, Xcel is asking people to call 1-800-895-4999.

As of this afternoon, Xcel's Trouble Department crews are working 16-hour shifts. There are 120 repair crews working the West Metro today, compared to the usual 34.

"We've called in everybody we can -- from the East Metro to St. Cloud," Hoen said. "If anyone isn't working right now, it's only because of the mandatory eight-hour rest period."

More on the tornado:

• Minneapolis tornado kills one person, rips up homes
• Twin Cities tornado damage 2011: Your photos
• Minneapolis tornado: Videos from the scene
• Pawlenty strangely silent on tornado damage to Minnesota
• Minneapolis tornado "exclusion zone" map and details
• Rybak declares disaster, City Council plans emergency meeting
• Xcel says 11,000 tornado victims still without power
• Rob MacIntyre, Raptor Resource Project director, ID'd as tornado victim
• How to help tornado victims in North Minneapolis