Dangerous wind leaves 55k without power in Texas

AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — Saturday update from Xcel Energy: As of 2:30 p.m. today, crews have restored power to more than 80% of customers affected by yesterday’s extreme windstorm in Texas and New Mexico, with more than 55,000 customers back online and 11,000 still without power.

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, we expect some customers to be out until early next week.

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

Friday evening update:

Update from Xcel Energy: As of 7:30 p.m., about 55,000 total customers are without power in the region. With widespread damage, power restoration times for individual customers will vary based on a number of factors. Initial restoration estimates are:

• Customers in southeastern New Mexico will likely be mostly restored tonight.
• For those in the greater Lubbock area, we believe most will be restored by tomorrow.
• For those in or between the Amarillo, TX and Clovis, NM region, where damage is most extensive, we expect some customers to be out until early next week.

Original Story:

According to Baron's power outage map, Friday's catastrophic winds have left nearly 90,000 people without power in Texas, with a majority from the Texas Panhandle.

Some counties in the Panhandle have less than 25% of their residents with electricity.

While Xcel Energy have taken proactive measures, Chester Brown, the Director of Distribution for Xcel Energy's Texas and New Mexico region, said that restoration efforts cannot begin until weather conditions improve.

For more on Xcel Energy's efforts, see our initial coverage here.

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