Crews work to clear storm debris before another rolls in Thursday evening
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Power restoration and clean up crews were working against the clock Thursday as another storm rolls in for the evening.
Three days after a storm, parts of St. Paul's Como neighborhood are still without power.
Andy Rodriguez with St. Paul Parks and Recreation says they prioritized clearing roads of large trees, but debris along side streets will take some time.
"This will be a multi-week kind of clean-up response on behalf of our teams working extra time, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. as much as possible," Rodriguez said.
Xcel Energy says power in the metro is 99% restored, and they brought in extra staff to make that happen. Now they're on standby as the Twin Cities brace for severe thunderstorms on Thursday evening.
Scott Sydor woke up to a loud bang and a flash of light on Monday. Three days later, he still has a large tree in his backyard.
"A 120-foot maple, I think, from two houses down fell across the last three back yards ... so exciting times!" Sydor said.
He's thankful he didn't lose power, but his next door neighbor was not so lucky. So he did the neighborly thing. running an extension cord from his house to theirs
"It's actually good for the neighborhood here because we interact more, sharing coffee and refrigerators and freezers so stuff doesn't spoil," he said.
Minneapolis Parks and Recreation clears tree debris after storms as well. People are encouraged to report fallen trees in their neighborhood if they haven't been addressed yet.