My experience with Xcel's 'planned power shutdown' starting 4/6/24

I got the info from XCel that they might turn off the power and I would be notified. I was notifiied at 11 am on 4/6/24 that it would be turned off at 3pm. I am very disabled and getting around my condo, let alone going outside is very challenging for me.

Fortunately my Medicaid helper was able to come at 2pm that day help me get ready to go. I am also on oxygen so I had to leave and bring my jet pack w/me. It only lasts a few hours and has to be plugged in.

Trying to get my things together, meds etc, to go is a lot....and I decided that I'd hope my food would be ok as my fridge was pretty full and I wouldn't be there opening the door.

I thought my food would be ok til noon on 4/7 as was predicted that the power would come back on. Even if someone had gotten me coolers and ice (which was sold out).....that would've been too much for me to navigate.

There are 2 small condo buildings in our complex at 17th and Yarmouth in N Boulder. One has 10 units, the other has 12. The one w/10 units, facing 17th, did not get their power turned off, and our 12 unit building did......which was very confusing and distressing on top of everything else. And later we kept hearing about areas in my Holliday neighborhood where the power came back on, but not in my building.

I stayed w/a chronically ill friend, bc I thought it would be only one night.

The next day, 4/7, the info was varied about how long it actually 'would' be. To hear that no power would be turned on that day 4/7 was shocking, and that those of us who had our power turned off would be the last ones to get it back on, maybe even Monday 4/8 or 4/9.......was very distressing.

My power did come back on that Sunday 4/7 at 6:15 pm, but I was too worn out to drive back and I would've had no help moving back in, so I stayed at my friend's til the next day.

My medicaid person was able to help me move back in on Monday afternoon.

The food all looked ok. None of my neighbors had problems w/their food. I tried to be picky about what I ate and didn't, but Tues morning woke up w/bad food poisoning and it was til yesterday, Sunday, 4/14, that my gut didn't hurt/torque...... I was laid up all week.

Since idk what food had caused that, my neighbor and medicaid person took 1.5 hours on Wed 4/10 to compost everything, and she bought me a few things to tide me over til Friday when she normally shops. Yes I applied for the SNAP reimbursement.....they told me 90% of SNAP recipients in Boulder County applied and they are very backed up processing those requests.

I understand why XCel felt they had to do this, altho I don't think the vegetation was dry like during the Marshall fire. But the way they handled it, especially afterwards, for me and so many others......was terrible.

I couldn't have stayed in my place. Aside from needing oxygen, my place faces north and dosen't get direct sun so it would've been cold, like in the 50's.... which then would cause other health issues for me, and I wouldn't have had any way to use my phone or internet to find out what was happening.

I saw multiple other posts about people with oxygen. There was one person who posted for info on Twitter to xcel, I tried to attach that. She was asking if her power was going off bc she was on Oxygen, and xcel just gave a stock/rude comment like 'you should be prepared'.....

It is NOT easy for someone on oxygen to 'be prepared'.....and everyone on oxygen in the Front Range was trying to figure this out at the last minute, so it wasn't easy.

my medicaid person had her power turned off while she was helping me.

I understand not wanting another Marshall or Maui fire. Everyone I saw online also understood this.But imho, Xcel did a terrible job with this, and THAT is what people were so distressed/upset about.

And we will likely see big rate increases bc of this.....altho all the execs will be still making their huge incomes on the backs of those who dealt directly with all this in every way.