Storm Knocks Thousands Out of Power, Golden Valley Hit Hard
Sunday night’s storm brought rain, hail and winds of more than 60 miles per hour. In Golden Valley, some people were dealing with major storm damage, while crews from Xcel Energy were hard at work trying to restore power for hundreds of customers.
“We’ve been, well, maybe 10 hours without electricity,” Golden Valley homeowner Jim Johnson said Monday morning.
Johnson is one of hundreds in Golden Valley — and nearly 40,000 across the Twin Cities metro — who lost power due to Sunday night’s storms.
Crews in Golden Valley spent the day dealing with things like downed power lines and damaged poles.
Meanwhile, the storm was so powerful that tree limbs snapped and came crashing down into people’s yards.
Staff from Great River Tree Care, LLC were busy in one Golden Valley neighborhood hauling away debris and grinding the wood into chips.
Golden Valley homeowner Jeff Springer uses a saw to cut the branch of a tree that fell in his yard.
Homeowner Jeff Springer had a massive tree limb fall in his front yard. But instead of calling a tree removal service, he grabbed a saw and took matters into his own hands to save some money.
“I don’t have to be in a hurry. [The tree removal guy was] saying, ‘Well I can get it out of there for you,'” explained Springer. “But you know what? I can deal with it. I can cut it up slow and steady. Win the race, like the turtle versus the hare. Yeah, I’m happy to do that.”
The city of Golden Valley wants to remind people to stay away from any downed or sagging power lines. Folks should always assume that a downed line is energized and dangerous.
Never touch or move a downed power line; instead, leave the area and report it immediately by calling Xcel Energy at 1-800-895-1999.
Related: Powerful Twin Cities Storms Knock Out Power, Down Trees in Crystal
