Thousands of Minnesotans still without power after weekend storms
HOPKINS, Minn. – While more than 100,000 Minnesotans lost power during the weekend's storms and severe weather, just under 2,000 were still left without by Tuesday morning.
For the unlucky few, it's a point of frustration – all while questioning when the power will come back online.
"My hope was that it could be 4-5 hours, that would be the extent of it, hopefully," said Jean Hynek of Hopkins. "If you just got more communication, I think you could handle the situation better."
Hynek says she's had to refresh Xcel Energy's outage map continuously over the past several days. She says several times, the estimated "return" time for the power for her and her neighbors has been delayed.
An Xcel Energy spokesperson says some neighborhoods have seen delays as crews work to remove trees and debris while navigating soft, rain-soaked ground.
Hynek says even without the power, she can see the amount of bills stacking up due to the outage.
"You've got two nights in hotels, meals out, boarding a dog, all the food you've thrown out of your refrigerator and freezer, and you don't know if there's an end in sight or when electricity is going to come back on"