A line of severe thunderstorms caused wind and hail damage, as well as numerous power outages across central Minnesota, Saturday evening into Sunday morning.
Small, leaf covered branches were common on the streets in the City of Becker after the storm, while Becker Township had at least one report of a downed tree partially obstructing a roadway.
Near the intersection of County Roads 11 and 24, a large branch was ripped from a tree and fell directly on top of a pickup truck that the owner had been offering for sale, completely obliterating the cab area.
Several larger trees and branches needed removal after being damaged, including at the Shepherd of Grace senior living community as well as at the Becker Cemetery.
According to Stacy Downs, Communications Specialist for Connexus Energy, nearly 5,000 members were without power due to 200 separate outages.
The company sent automated messages to the nearly 100,000 members who have online accounts notifying them of the possible power outages.
“Connexus dispatched all available Connexus line crews; five guest line crews from East Central Energy, Elk River Municipal Utilities and Brink Constructors, Inc.; and two tree crews from Asplundh to clear lines and restore power as safely and efficiently as possible,” Downs reported in a press release sent to the Patriot on Tuesday morning.
“Large, downed trees impacting backlot power lines were difficult to access, requiring the use of specialized equipment.”
These areas took the longest to repair and Downs reported that by 1 a.m. Monday morning, the last service was restored.
“We appreciate our members for informing us about their outages and for their patience as our crews worked to restore power,” said Nick Loehlein, Vice President of Electric Operations.
Connexus recommends that members report any potential outages via the company’s mobile app, or by signing into their members’ account.
Some people chose to place a phone call regarding the issue, and Connexus had additional members services, system operations and back-office support employees available to handle the increased volume.
Meanwhile, scattered, smaller outages were still being reported on the Xcel Energy website as of Tuesday afternoon.
Both power companies have websites with outage maps so members and customers can track progress after a severe weather episode.
According to Downs, on average Connexus customers experience just one unplanned outage every three years, with storms and vegetation accounting for 43% of those occurrences.
Within mere hours of the storms, residents reported receiving robocalls and telemarketing solicitations from “storm chasers” who were offering their services to inspect homes for storm damage.
As always, the Patriot recommends using local, licensed contractors to inspect homes and repair any damage. Not only does it bolster the local economy, but it ensures the homeowner will be able to connect with the contractor in the future should any issues arise.
A reminder that after the large number of hail incidents in recent years, several insurance carriers recently changed their deductible policies for weather-related events, in some cases requiring the policy holder to pay a percentage of the damage rather than a fixed amount.
