There Has to Be a Better Way

I was out of power for six days. When Xcel finally tried to restore my power, ten minutes after the power came back on I heard my neighbor shouting that there was a fire and I looked out my window and saw flames. I immediately grabbed my dog, jumped in my car and evacuated from what ended up being a three-acre fire on Wild Turkey Trail off Four Mile Canyon. I'm not exaggerating when I say it was the single most stressful event of my life. This came after six days of having no power and the daily struggles that caused: figuring out how to feed my family, keep my house warm, and obtain safe drinking water, while still working a full-time job. I share this story so the PUC and Xcel are reminded that there are very real consequences to the decisions they make. While I understand Xcel doesn't have control over every factor that led to this situation, there has to be a better way to provide energy to your customers in the face of a changing climate.