Alarmingly disorganized

We just got our power back after 5 days. The information shared by the power company was disorganized at best, as I count 31 texts from them and most were inaccurate. Since we had no power, no data service from Verizon, and no wifi access, we were completely cut off. These texts could only be accessed after a 30 minute drive from our home to an area that did have data service.

Equally unhelpful were the maps. They were incorrect and remained almost exactly the same for the duration of the five days! We were left to our own initiative to find areas that did have power and to figure out how to periodically go there to check information, get food, and power our devices.

We were fortunate enough to have purchased a large battery charging device in advance, given the random warnings from Xcel about the shutoff, so we did have that. We were able to charge camping lanterns and devices. However, given the fact that we had no way to communicate or get information unless we left our area, it really did not matter if our devices were powered.

Not only does Xcel need to improve communication, but they need to coordinate a plan with cell phone companies to prioritize towers and cell equipment, so that even if our power is cut there is some chance of making or receiving emergency calls. Yes, we lost all of our food, had no heat, no hot water, and then became ill. The biggest issue, though, was lack of decent information and a way to communicate.