Due Diligence or Over Reaction

Recorded phone call from Xcel was received at 2:15 p.m. on April 6th, stating, electricity would be preemptively shut off at 3:00 p.m. and restored the following afternoon (beginning at 12:00 noon on the 7th). I immediately powered down my computer and started filling the tub with water. Indeed, power was shut off at exactly 3:00. Given the communications from Xcel and supportive newsprint of the event, we declined from digging out the generator and racing to town to purchase gas for a 24-hr. outage. Sunday (April 7th) - social media is blowing-up; "Power may not be restored until April 8th or longer". I personally did not receive notification from Xcel about the delay until 8:58 p.m. April 7th. The morning of April 8th, with our food starting to spoil, a neighbor brought us 5 gallons of gas and we hooked up the generator. Power was restored around 5:00 p.m., at my house (50 hours without power). To add to the frustration, I remain confused on why my phone line also goes down. I'm left with little or no way to call out.

Editorial: Colorado definitely has an annual windy season - strong winds have always occurred in Colorado. Of the most notable fires in recent history (ref., Black Forest, Waldo, High Park, Fourmile, Hayman, Cold Springs), collectively, 1426 homes were lost. ALL were human caused except for High Park, which was caused by lightening. Those responsible for causing the fires, have received varying sentencing, from a slap on the wrist to probation and community service. The Marshall fire was also found to be partially manmade. The finding that Xcel shares in the cause, remains questionable given the findings - yet 200 lawsuits have been filed. Consequently, and understandably so, it feels like this event was retaliatory in nature. I lost my home in the Fourmile Fire. George Farier received a slap on the wrist - there were no lawsuits. I question why there is not a standard penalty. I personally do not understand how Xcel can be expected to bear the burden (simply because they are believed to have deep pockets). This is not California or Oregan - this is Colorado - I certainly hope this does not become the new norm - otherwise I will be spending a lot of time in the dark every spring.