Fwd: Boulder Economic Vitality and Business Support Alliance

Response to April 2024 Windstorm and Preventative Power

Outages
External

Bettina 9:19 AM
Swigger bettina@downtownboulder.org via state.co.us
to eric.blank, Tom.Plant, megan.gilman, rebecca.whote, dora_puc_website, John

Dear Director White and Commissioners Blank, Gilman, and Plant,

Thank you for the opportunity to give testimony to the PUC on April 17. Downtown
Boulder Partnership, in collaboration with Boulder Chamber and others, shared this
letter and information with members of Boulder City Council, Boulder County
Commissioners, and Xcel leadership. Please let me or John Tayer, President & CEO of
Boulder Chamber (cc'ed) know if you have any further questions.
Colorado PUC E-Filings System

We continue to have concerns about the continued impacts to the business community
when planned or unplanned outages occur in the future.

Here's the letter:

On behalf of the Boulder Economic Vitality and Business Support Alliance, we are
sharing our efforts to measure the impacts on the Boulder business community during
Xcel’s proactively initiated preventative power outages. We understand that you have
broad community impacts to discuss, ranging from caring for those with difficult health
issues that demand power service to the operation of critical infrastructure. We share
these community concerns, but this correspondence focuses on the impacts of the
proactive power outage on our local businesses, their needs, and future improvement
opportunities.

First, we want to be clear that our community is familiar with the devastation caused by
wildfires and appreciates Xcel’s attention to preventative measures. As a business
community, we are dedicated to cultivating an environment in which we are prepared for
emergencies. Public safety is paramount, and we are glad the April windstorm did not
cause any major fires. As Benjamin Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a
pound of cure,” and we understand that measuring the impact of preventing something
from happening is hard to see, and easy to question.

However, due to short notice and unclear communication from Xcel Energy, many
members of our business community suffered economic hardship when their
businesses lost power. Also of note, the impacts were significant not just for those who
suffered through the extended period of power outage, but also for those who were not
part of the planned outage, but lost business and/or unnecessarily took emergency
actions because they thought they would lose power.

To hear from the business community directly, we opened a survey on Monday, April 8,
and we are sharing with you the attached survey results. It is not a scientific survey, but
it is meant to capture the sentiments and immediate after-effects of the proactive power
outage. To date, the survey has received 96 responses. Survey respondents included
restaurants, retail shops, hotels, assisted living facilities, manufacturing companies,
research laboratories, nonprofit arts organizations, and others.

We note that many of these concerns and suggestions detailed in the survey responses
are applicable to both planned and unplanned power outages in the future. Of primary
consideration is early, clear, and consistent communication. We must give attention to
needs in that area in any follow-up strategy. Not knowing and/or hearing unconfirmed
reports and/or receiving late notice was the cause of much unnecessary business
hardship.

As you can see, businesses reported damage across the board, from smaller retail
shops and restaurants that lost product, but even more importantly, lost revenue during
what they anticipated to be a busy weekend. Larger businesses also reported significant
impacts – from lost productivity that led to overtime hours to the failure of equipment
caring for critical materials.

We are currently exploring all opportunities for bridge grants and loans to address the
costs businesses suffered. We also recognize that these resources are limited, and
many of our businesses are either ineligible for additional loans or understandably
resistant to further debt in the wake of COVID’s impacts and other rising business
expenses. That is exactly why it is so important that we avoid future communication and
response failures of this nature.

SURVEY HEADLINES:

 Businesses reported an estimated $1.3 million in lost revenue

 Businesses reported an estimated $240,000 in unpaid wages
 Businesses reported an estimated $125,000 in inventory/product losses
 An outage of more than 24 hours required an estimated $240,000 to return to
normal business operations
 Private insurance policies don’t necessarily cover these types of interruptions
 Businesses need access to generators and refrigerated trucks
 Businesses were fearful of public safety issues due to darkened City streets and
traffic safety risks

The survey results also include ideas about specific strategies for reducing business
impacts that are in formulation and show promise for future implementation. All of this
points to great damage to our local businesses. We seek to collaborate with you in any
relief the City of Boulder, Xcel and our other business support partners can provide. At
the same time, we ask City Council and staff to work with us in implementing future
plans to avoid such calamitous consequences for our businesses from both future
proactive and unplanned power outages.

We all seek to enhance the resiliency of our community and this is one additional
opportunity for positive strides in that direction. We are thankful for the partnership with
City staff and City Council toward this shared goal.

Sincerely,

John Tayer, President and CEO, Boulder Chamber

Bettina Swigger, CEO, Downtown Boulder Partnership
 1

Boulder Economic Vitality and Business Support Alliance Response to

April 2024 Windstorm and Preventative Power Outages

April 17, 2024

Mayor Brockett, City Council Members, and City Manager Rivera-Vandermyde,

On behalf of the Boulder Economic Vitality and Business Support Alliance, we are sharing our
efforts to measure the impacts on the Boulder business community during Xcel’s proactively
initiated preventative power outages. We understand that you have broad community impacts to
discuss, ranging from caring for those with difficult health issues that demand power service to
the operation of critical infrastructure. We share these community concerns, but this
correspondence focuses on the impacts of the proactive power outage on our local businesses,
their needs, and future improvement opportunities.

First, we want to be clear that our community is familiar with the devastation caused by wildfires
and appreciates Xcel’s attention to preventative measures. As a business community, we are
dedicated to cultivating an environment in which we are prepared for emergencies. Public safety
is paramount, and we are glad the April windstorm did not cause any major fires. As Benjamin
Franklin said, “an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure,” and we understand that
measuring the impact of preventing something from happening is hard to see, and easy to
question.

However, due to short notice and unclear communication from Xcel Energy, many members of
our business community suffered economic hardship when their businesses lost power. Also of
note, the impacts were significant not just for those who suffered through the extended period of
power outage, but also for those who were not part of the planned outage, but lost business
and/or unnecessarily took emergency actions because they thought they would lose power.

To hear from the business community directly, we opened a survey on Monday, April 8, and we
are sharing with you the attached survey results. It is not a scientific survey, but it is meant to
capture the sentiments and immediate after-effects of the proactive power outage. To date, the
survey has received 96 responses. Survey respondents included restaurants, retail shops,
hotels, assisted living facilities, manufacturing companies, research laboratories, nonprofit arts
organizations, and others.

Boulder Economic Vitality and Business Support Alliance

 2

We note that many of these concerns and suggestions detailed in the survey responses are
applicable to both planned and unplanned power outages in the future. Of primary consideration
is early, clear, and consistent communication. We must give attention to needs in that area in
any follow-up strategy. Not knowing and/or hearing unconfirmed reports and/or receiving late
notice was the cause of much unnecessary business hardship.

As you can see, the damage was across the board, from smaller retail shops and restaurants
that lost product, but even more importantly, lost revenue during what they anticipated to be a
busy weekend. Larger businesses also reported significant impacts – from lost productivity that
led to overtime hours to the failure of equipment caring for critical materials.

We are currently exploring all opportunities for bridge grants and loans to address the costs
businesses suffered. We also recognize that these resources are limited, and many of our
businesses are either ineligible for additional loans or understandably resistant to further debt in
the wake of COVID’s impacts and other rising business expenses. That is exactly why it is so
important that we avoid future communication and response failures of this nature.

SURVEY HEADLINES:

- Businesses reported an estimated $1.3 million in lost revenue

- Businesses reported an estimated $240,000 in unpaid wages
- Businesses reported an estimated $125,000 in inventory/product losses
- An outage of more than 24 hours required an estimated $240,000 to return to normal
business operations
- Private insurance policies don’t necessarily cover these types of interruptions
- Businesses need access to generators and refrigerated trucks
- Businesses were fearful of public safety issues due to darkened City streets and traffic
safety risks

The survey also includes specific strategies for reducing business impacts that are in
formulation and show promise for future implementation. All of this points to great damage to
our local businesses. We seek to collaborate with you in any relief the City of Boulder, Xcel and
our other business support partners can provide. At the same time, we ask City Council and
staff to work with us in implementing future plans to avoid such calamitous consequences for
our businesses from both future proactive and unplanned power outages.

We all seek to enhance the resiliency of our community and this is one additional opportunity for
positive strides in that direction. We are thankful for the partnership with City staff and City
Council toward this shared goal.

Sincerely,

John Tayer, President and CEO Bettina Swigger, CEO

Boulder Chamber Downtown Boulder Partnership

Boulder Economic Vitality and Business Support Alliance


Timestamp Type of Business
4/10/2024 14:12:44 aerial dance studio
4/8/2024 19:25:47 art education
4/11/2024 15:48:28 Art studio
4/8/2024 19:54:22 Assisted living
4/9/2024 14:25:35 Bakery
4/10/2024 22:25:28 Bakery
4/14/2024 15:06:28 Bakery
4/11/2024 8:19:44 Brewery/taproom
4/9/2024 15:26:52 Cafe and Shop
4/9/2024 9:39:28 Camera and A/V rental
Car wash, detail studio
4/10/2024 11:45:43 and coffee ahop
4/9/2024 12:51:53 Clothing store
4/9/2024 16:14:32 Coffee Shop
4/16/2024 7:26:33 Coffee Shop
4/11/2024 13:00:08 Community theater
4/12/2024 8:50:34 Consulting
Convenience/Gas
4/9/2024 21:22:33 station
4/10/2024 1:00:20 Farm and farm store
4/9/2024 11:35:54 Food manufacturing
4/10/2024 15:26:34 Fraternal Organization
4/10/2024 14:34:42 Full service restaurant
4/10/2024 8:14:56 Hair salon
4/12/2024 9:44:46 Home Daycare est 1990 0 hours
4/9/2024 8:11:04 Hotel
4/9/2024 14:10:15 Hotel
4/10/2024 14:04:34 Hotel
4/10/2024 15:05:46 Hotel
Hotel, Concerts and
Events, Restaurant,
4/9/2024 19:01:19 Coffee Shop
Hotel/ multiple
4/9/2024 13:03:32 restaurants
4/9/2024 10:40:52 Ice Cream Shop
4/8/2024 17:43:32 IT Services
Jewelry, Rocks and
4/9/2024 12:58:48 Minerals, Gifts
4/9/2024 7:29:13 Law Firm
4/12/2024 13:19:33 Law firm
4/9/2024 14:13:08 Lodging
4/9/2024 21:15:06 Manufacturer
4/8/2024 17:44:40 Manufacturing
4/9/2024 15:22:25 Mountain Sun Pub
4/10/2024 9:45:33 Music lessons
4/9/2024 8:42:39 News
Non Profit, Community
4/10/2024 5:57:18 Service
Were you notified in advance of Did you experience spoilage or How much does it typically cost your business to What improvements would you suggest to reduce Are there any specific policies or regulations you
How long was your business the planned outage? If so, how If you had to call off employees, how much in payroll did your business not pay out If you had to work overtime in order to deal with the outage, how much did damage of perishable goods How much do you estimate your business lost in inventory or stock during the What measures does your business have in place to cope with recover from a power outage (e.g., repairs, the impact of power outages on businesses like How can utility companies better support believe should be implemented to address this
without power? much notice did you receive? During the outage, how much revenue do you estimate your business lost? (lost wages to employees)? you have to pay in overtime? during the power outage? outage? power outages? Do you have business interruption insurance? restocking)? yours? businesses during power disruptions? issue?
~24 hrs ~5 hrs $460.60 238 0 yes ~50 None. No. None. We provide classes.
0 yes $0.00 0 0 0 0 none map of outage areas as soon as they are known Again, getting the information out asap. no
24 hours Less than an hour of notice $200.00 No No More advance notice! Let us know sooner! At least 6 hours advance notice of outages
Let me be clear that I don't represent Morningstar.
My mother is in the memory Care section and it
was very very confusing for them specifically. The
assisted living people coped better, but the people
in memory care did not understand. It was also I am hoping they understand and to make assisted
28 hours difficult for them.... Especially at night. living and memory Care facilities a high priority!
Many. Bury power lines, wildfire mitigation, invest
yes, I received a text the morning in technology that depowers lines when a break in
before, but was unclear if the text the line is detected, have community resources
was for the business or one of available (like ice/refrigeration), traffic controls
our residential properties. The Communication was lacking. Also, they could have when the lights are out- basically the city and utility
text didn't state any address or Having ice available would help, accurate and delayed turning off power, and been quicker to turn both utterly failed to respond to this crisis. It was
29 hours identifying information. $5,000.00 $2,000 0 Yes $5,000 Yes, we have insurance. $5K helpful sharing of information. it back on. sad.
At least be notified a little more accurately when it
At least 15 hours Phone call $0.00 $0 $0 Yes most of our products $1,300 No $700 will be shut off and turned back on
Communicate in advance of a planned outage -- we
understand the reasoning for the outage, and we
could have been more prepared if we knew that our
power would be cut. The announcement about a
planned outage didn't include specific areas and we
didn't even receive notice directly or before it
happened.
Nothing specific, just plans to keep fridges cold (empty ice Additionally, having consistent
machine, keep things closed, check temps) communication/updates as to when power will be
28 hrs No $3,400.00 $490 n/a yes $1,165.55 Not sure if we have business interruption insurance Not sure restored. Just communicate with us! n/a
More time for preparation, resources or grants for Resources for losses incurred, credits on next bill
28 hours 1.5 hour notice $2,500.00 400 Owners worked overtime No N/a No Lost revenue will put us behind. losses incurred. for interruption of service
They should first spend a week in the shoes of a
small business and see the impact of any small
losses. The energy company wants us to
understand, what they are dealing with, but they
don’t seem to grasp what business affected by it
Yes, all of our food products/ had to deal with. They need to prioritize updating
pastries needing refrigeration their communication infrastructure and ensure all
were lost. All of our dairy for the the technology available to them is put to its best
coffee shop and bakery were use. Transparency would be appreciated so those
lost. All of our prepared We have business interruption insurance, but deductibles are of us, who saw lights left on a few blocks from us
ingredients for our toasts ( high, so not much will be covered. I think we could have been Communication in a timely manner first of all. Not won’t left wondering how it’s fair? We just wanted I don’t know much about policies or politics/
burrata, pea puree, eggs, etc prepared if given notice. Not having given notice, while trying to being blind sided would have been great. I think to know and understand so we could make the regulations. All I know is, if I made a mistake, I’d
were lost). All of our micro figure out on the fly how to handle customers who were upset, there should be for small businesses like ours, with appropriate decisions for our businesses and make sure to do the right thing and correct it rather
greens needing refrigeration and troubleshooting with zero notice was like getting kicked in the not a lot of other resources, to have access to a customers. than making excuses for why I’m not.
were lost. All of the content of face. We do not have the resources of a Blackbelly who This was our first such occurrence. We do not need sort of shared cooling/refrigeration space, to haul all Lastly, if the energy company recognizes the errors I do think there should have been law enforcement
our freezer, where we keep fortunately could access a refrigerator trailer. We do not have to make repairs, but labor to restock everything, perishables to until power is turned back on. Or the made by them, the first step in correcting that present and visible during this time. I’m still in awe
Were notified 14 minutes AFTER We were closed on Monday, April 8th and were able to ready the store for backups of laminated doughs, other facilities to move to. The losses between revenue and and remake / re-prep plus the cost of restocking energy company could provide refrigeration trailers mistake is stepping up and covering the losses by we weren’t robbed blind having security systems
36 hours power shut off $7,700.00 1075 business using salaried staff. creams were lost. 5000 product equals to over a weeks worth of sales. everything lost will be over $5k after it’s all done. for all of us to use. reimbursing those affected by it. shut off from lack of power.
I don't have enough information to answer this
question. I don't know what Xcel was dealing with
in terms of downed lines/damage, so it's hard for
Better communication about when the power will be me to say if what they did was legitimate or not. If I
restored, and details regarding WHY it's taking as See above. The lack of detailed information was had more information about the specifics of this
45 hours Yes, approx 2 hours notice None, because we are closed on the weekend and our website is always open None, because all of my employees are on salary N/A No N/A Not that I'm aware of N/A long as it is. infuriating. We need more information. storm, perhaps I could reply.
Yes, 2.5 hours in advance I got Yes, several hundred dollars of It cost $230 to restock our coolers and another Not make this a precedent. Do a better job with
an automated message. Couldn’t spoiled products from coffee $485 in labor to repair equipment to the car wash where power is being cut. My partners mountain
23 hours ask any questions. $13,000.00 $1,800 None shop 235 No and get operational on Sunday. neighbor hood had power but 28th st did not. More thoughtful of where power is being cut.
Increased notice before scheduled outages, shorter Increased notice before outrages: give notice
time periods for these outages (when safe), earlier, and make additional efforts to contact to
increased clarity about affected areas. Xcel map inform businesses of outages (emails, but also text
Unsure No $800.00 $102 0 No 0 None Unsure had only approximate locations. of phone calls)
No. Our building owner sent out More upfront information on when and the duration Provide refridgerated trucks or back up generators
26 hours the notification at 4:15pm $2,000.00 $1,000 Yes 6 cases of milk products Unknown, but finding out now. minimal expectations. for running key equipment
25 hours no $15,000.00 $2,000 $500 yes $2,000 ? $2,000 more notice! more notice! More accurate time estimates
n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a better communication from Xcel notification and being sure it is picked up. don't know
More notice, shorter outages, better communication
51hrs Yes - ~3hrs $2,250.00 No $0 None $0 of restoration timelines. Better communication
More transparency about exact locations of Pushing power companies to update infrastructure
outages, more warning time, help cover cost of and bury power lines to reduce impact on
45 hours Yes, 2 hours in advance $15,000.00 $800 0 Yes $3,000 None $5k Funding for generators generators. residents and businesses.
Power companies need to do better, but policy
needs to support lots of flexibility to turn off power.
Which power is turned off seems like it could use
some guidance. Policies for equipment in good
repair or underground in high risk areas( Lots of
Poudre Valley Rea poles down on N foothills is
concerning. ) Solar traffic lights and other
~$5,000/day without power. $4k-$25K per weather better notice, information and alternative power better notice, working maps, specific addresses on preparedness policies/investments. How to better
24 hours 1 hour $3,000.00 $1,200 $250 for outage. $6,000 to deal with wind yes $2,000 generators in some areas. no interuption insurance event for weather repairs solutions notifications handle loss of cell service and power.
Don't have them. Keep essential business
powered. We make a food product and were
Yes - micro market vending, Electrical hardware failures - PLC memory loss, considered an essential business during the
Lost 16-hours of production operating time - also lost 32 hours of maintenance Had to schedule OT work the following Saturday to make up for missed employee food in fridges, other failed processors, 3PL integrators. $5k-$20k Advance notice with solid timeframes for stoppage pandemic. Should be during events like this as Prioritize busesses in Boulder county and notify all
32 hours No repair time - also lost 2 hours of retail sales and tour time 27600 production incurred from the power outage. food kept in walk in cooler 26k cases of product. 120 hours of planned maintenance work. No depending on total impact from outage and when it will be restored well. customers of this list.
Several hours advanced horny would be great.
Rolling power outages might be an option on the
26 Hours No $600.00 $480 N/A Yes $150 No Can’t say whatever happened before power companies part. Tried telling us in advance and not doing it again Xcel needs advanced warnings.
about 24 hours no $80,000.00 $1,800 na yes $750 not sure $500 let us know exactly the plan pay us for losses. no
Short of putting the power lines underground which
is the best solution, more notice, more targeted
outage for high fire zones only, faster to get it back
26 hours Yes 3.5 hours $600.00 335 75 No None No 150 up. Pay us back for the losses
batteries, radios, chargers in cars, candles, outdoor cooking Turn power back on when the wind stops - fire can
No $300.00 0 0 0 0 capabilities I don't know Battery packs like Tesla in our garage Better communications be fought easily then.
10 years ago, you should have converted the rest
of your grid to underground instead of turning off It should have been illegal what you have done.
power to make a statement about being sued for Call centers were down, no plan, no direct warning
2 days no $20,000.00 4,000 16 yes 4000 Batteries back up and hotspots forest fires. not turning off city grids due to high winds. to customers, this is going to come back on you.
Silly question. The City of Boulder attempted to Ft. Collins owns their own power. Because of this,
take over Xcel's operation inside the city. they were able to bury their power lines. They don't
Afterwards, Boulder County sued Xcel over the shut off power to the city during wind storms.
Marshall fire. As retribution, Xcel turned off the Problem solved.
no. the email and phone they power to they city when it got windy. They are not
have on hand is for our corporate If the pissing match between the city of Boulder and supporting businesses. They are using us as Also, it has been proven that monopolies are never
26 hours office, which is another state. $10,000.00 na - I needed everyone none yes, thousands of dollars worth $4,000 This is something that is handled by corporate. 4k Xcel keeps up, we will have to invest in a generator. political pawns. We are aware of this. a good idea.
My residential account was I would love to be able to purchase an emergency Poor planning, lack of timely communication and
29 hours notified, not the hotel's $20,000.00 $400 I had to work myself but I'm a manager so no extra pay Yes 2500 No Lost revenue was the major impact generator Provide subsidy for a power generator feedback
Not turn off power first and foremost. If they need
We don't currently have generators. I will look into business to turn off power, more heads up, and There should be a legal requirement for
interruption insurance, but we are reluctant to file with our recompensating lost revenues to businesses. Still recompensating lost revenues of businesses.
Did not call off employees, as we thought power would be back on and still had to insurance as its so hard to get insurance here, we worry about Not a ton, just a few extra man hours. So let's call it cheaper than the liability of a fire for the utility Considering we pay the utility for service and they
2 nights, 3 days Yes, 4 hours $10,000.00 mitigate the issues of the crisis created by power loss. $0 No overtime. No 10000 getting dropped. $1,000 Get generators company. have a monopoly.
We had mixed messaging but $5-10k, could be significantly more if refunds are
Did not lose power nothing ended up happening It was slow at restaurant bc people thought we were closed n/a n/a no n/a generators at only 2 of 114 buildings required upwards of $100k per day Underground power lines - already planned Communication - over communicate
IF a planned outage is EVEN BEING
COSIDERED, warn us, let us know .. Time can
save money, frustration and an opportunity to
Provide updates, communication and honesty in contact guests and prepare for a potential event.
the messaging. perhaps act like they really care NO communication is unacceptable and that is
We need to be notified if ANY PLANNED power about their customers. Forget the corporate what created the recent shit show. Use all
27 hours No notification of ANY type $135,000.00 25,000 5,000 Yes 15,000 Yes, but not for first 24 hours. Varies no two events are the same outage is even being considered or possible.. messaging and this trial by fire crap. networks available to pre warn of the next event.
We were extremely lucky that At the very least give us warning. We had no idea it It feels like if they’re doing a planned, scheduled
our productions kitchen was was going to happen to us until it did. Really, it feels Give us a stipend to help support the costs we are shut off like this previous weekend we should very
able to keep power, otherwise Depends on if we are able to move our product to a like we should be prioritizing trying to keep the losing, not being able to be open, moving product, minimally be notified. Nonetheless should they be
we would have lost tens of facility with power. If we aren’t able to do that, business sectors on, unless fully, fully necessary to and potentially having to throw away items we held partially responsible for the losses that we are
26 hours No $8,000.00 $520 $0 thousands of dollars in product. $0 No measures in place. thousands of dollars. shut it down. couldn’t get to a freezer fast enough. having to endure.
ETA on when power will be restored, or at least
0. But it is only coincidence that I don't currently have customers that need when the determination of "restore or repair" is
weekend support. It would have been much worse if it happened during the estimated (then an estimate of when repair will I really think Xcel did their best on this. But more
30 hours Yes, 3 hours week. 0 0 no 0 Battery backup, which is designed to last <30 minutes It typically generates a lot of incoming support calls. More notice. Better timeline of what to expect take place) advanced notice is critical.
Yes, by phone at 11:38am on Don’t know…just do your best to help us the small
25 hours Saturday 4/6/2024 $4,000.00 $578 No overtime No…just a cake for employee None Not sure…. None Do your best, Try not to turn the power off businesses Don’t know
+-40 No unknown n/a n/a no n/a n/a n/a Better communication
1) Tell us exact list of criteria for de-energizing so
we can read weather forecast and determine
ourselves
2) tell us as INDIVIDUAL Xcel customers exactly See above + add Ciry should add hammer clause
which of us will be de-energized as far in advance enforcement to force Xcel to pay food spoilage and
Comcast and Xcel need to work together to keep as possible...not issue some insulting, blurry map lost business opportunities for having no wifi from
No wifi for 3 days No $0.00 0 0 No 0 Wifi hot spot using cell phones wifi/internet services up showing falsely that all of Boulder without power. Saturday 3pm until Tuesday evening!
N/A 2.5 hrs N/A N/A N/A N/A N/A Emergency procedures N/A Better communication Communication
Yes, we lost our supply of
consumable epoxies that are
critical to our manufacturing of
aerospace hardware.
Yes, but with only a one hour Less than $5000 if the outage occurs over the More frequent and clear communication ahead of More frequent and clear communication ahead of
Less than 24 hours notice $40,000.00 N/A More than $1000.00 $6,000.00 Unknown weekend the planned outage. the planned outage. Unknown
From our equipment monitoring Outage > 15hrs can lead us to scraping hundreds of refrigerated products.
system, it looks like we were out Right at the time it seems power Also, power outage create PLC and computers confusion, making us waste a N/A because this happened during the weekend and we only work from Monday to We have UPS for short power outage but nothing for long ones.
for 24hrs. was shut down. couple of hours to re-establish everything. Friday. N/A (see previous question) Yes Confidential Yes, we have business interruption insurance. It depends on the length of the outage. Not sure... Not sure... Not sure...
2 business days Never $70,000.00 $21,000 Luckily very little $1,000 Staff training. Yes but it doesn’t kick in for 72 hours Extra labor Better Communication Better communication Xcel should have to invest more in infrastructure
It was not NA NA NA NA NA Na
This was a disaster not just for businesses or
restauranthat was the disaster for homeowners
It's not just businesses but homeowners need help with medical devices there were hundreds if not
Battery packs and generators supplied by city ans too with battery packs and generators supplied by thousands who contacted us they didn't contact
25 hours Yes 3 hours $200.00 0 0 No0 0 No none 0 xcel excel in the city you the contact of the news video
We are a service org, so really no expense except
48 hours? Yes, 24 hours $0.00 We paid our employees $0 Yes $100 Yes restocking food we provide to clients.

Timestamp Type of Business
Non-profit scientific
4/8/2024 18:44:14 advocacy
4/10/2024 10:23:32 Nonprofit Foundation
Nonprofit performing arts Around 3pm Saturday until late
4/9/2024 13:42:16 organization
4/10/2024 21:51:33 Oatmilk Busines
4/9/2024 18:00:19 Packaged Foods
Party Rental/Special
4/12/2024 9:50:30 Events
Performing Arts
4/13/2024 14:26:02 Collective
4/8/2024 22:08:46 Private Golf Club
4/9/2024 13:23:56 Property Management
4/8/2024 17:39:33 Real Estate
4/8/2024 19:08:15 Real Estate Office
4/10/2024 0:28:41 Restarant
4/8/2024 20:17:54 Restaurant
4/9/2024 7:53:14 Restaurant
4/9/2024 8:03:40 REstaurant
4/9/2024 10:08:21 Restaurant
4/9/2024 14:11:47 Restaurant
4/9/2024 14:33:01 Restaurant
4/9/2024 15:32:09 Restaurant
4/10/2024 8:06:48 Restaurant
4/11/2024 13:54:14 Restaurant
4/12/2024 8:59:27 Restaurant
4/16/2024 10:19:45 Restaurant
4/9/2024 8:28:09 Restaurant
4/9/2024 17:52:20 Restaurant
4/10/2024 7:38:55 Restaurant
4/10/2024 14:32:17 Restaurant
4/9/2024 10:18:27 Restaurant / Bar
4/11/2024 10:35:21 Restaurant/Bar
4/9/2024 13:30:25 Restaurants - Bar.
4/9/2024 12:19:28 retail
4/9/2024 12:54:32 Retail
4/11/2024 15:38:07 Retail
4/9/2024 8:01:59 Retail
Retail and wholsale
4/10/2024 12:59:57 coffee
4/10/2024 9:30:35 Retail business
4/10/2024 9:36:00 Retail Clothing
Were you notified in advance of Did you experience spoilage or How much does it typically cost your business to What improvements would you suggest to reduce Are there any specific policies or regulations you
How long was your business the planned outage? If so, how If you had to call off employees, how much in payroll did your business not pay out If you had to work overtime in order to deal with the outage, how much did damage of perishable goods How much do you estimate your business lost in inventory or stock during the What measures does your business have in place to cope with recover from a power outage (e.g., repairs, the impact of power outages on businesses like How can utility companies better support believe should be implemented to address this
without power? much notice did you receive? During the outage, how much revenue do you estimate your business lost? (lost wages to employees)? you have to pay in overtime? during the power outage? outage? power outages? Do you have business interruption insurance? restocking)? yours? businesses during power disruptions? issue?
The biggest issue is that we got a message that
power "would be shut off in areas of concern or
risk" or language to that effect. So - when there are
random parts of town that have power and others
that do not have power, it makes no sense, when
the wind is just as brutal everywhere (Worse, and
ironically, the areas around Superior and Louisville
that burned in the Marshall Fire had power non-
stop through Saturday evening and through
Sunday – what?)
Your reputation is suffering by not having clearer
explanations of how the system works and how
who loses power is determined.
Once the food in the fridge was obviously not
going to make it, I was truly irritated. I’d already
missed working as planned from home in
preparation for a conference I’m at now out of
state. I left for DIA Sunday with power still out.
So - having seen neighbors across the street have
power all throughout the windy day and night -
Xcel needs to explain why if there was such a
threat we had to have power turned off while other
homes in areas of "threat" didn't lose their power
out of that same concern.
If turning off power was a preemptive strategy to
keep us safe, I'd agree with it - as long as it was
obvious that "everyone" was going to have their
power turned off in the name of safety.
I saw businesses that closed in anticipation of the
power being turned off as you said, and then it
wasn’t - and never was - that was unnecessarily
lost business on a weekend. I'm sure you're
The disruption was a mix of loss of internet, and managing other hearing from them.
logisitics insytead of working as I am in a home office. We have
48 hours about 20 hours $6,000.00 NA NA No NA no interruption insurance. We don't have a measure for this. You really lost a supporter this weekend.
No. We were relatively lucky that we do not
Yes, about $200 worth, much of operate on weekends, so we were minimally
Several hours during the planned which was employees personal Improved advanced notice from Xcel and a much Provide an exact time of when the power will be off impacted relative to, for example, restaurants or
shutoff. No We / our employees lost about $200 in groceries in our refrigerator and freezer. None, we are closed on weekends None, we are closed on weekends food. 95 None, we were not in the office at the time of the outage. $0 more efficient process in re-energizing. and turned back on. stores.
They should be required to inform all nonprofit arts
organizations, because we perform in buildings
Much more accurate and timely information from that we don't own. They should be much more
If we can reschedule, we will have to pay a minimum of $6725 (includes the Xcel and others about the time, locations, and Yes. They should sponsor our concert for the cost accurate about who is losing power and when it's
Sunday/early Monday No. $3,500.00 $3,937 $3937 from above). There are more costs to rescheduling. No. N/A No. Never happened before... lengths of the blackouts. of rescheduling. coming back on.
No. We were never notified by None because I worked straight through 2 nights to replace all of my lost This is our first one, and it's tracking to cost A 2-4 hour period of notification before shutting off
2 days anyone. inventory to be able to fulfill my orders in a resonable delay $350 $1,800 Yes $5,200 We do not have business interruption insurance $7500-$10000 Notification Communication and accurate ETAs power if it's controllable
We have friends who lost inventory worth
Minimal losses due to fast thousands of dollars. If no notice is given by the
We found out second-hand from response and close proximity to We rely on everyone who uses the space keeping an eye open Communication would be nice ; none of us received electric company, including a record of the call,
21 hrs another occupant of the kitchen. $900.00 $235 $350 commercial kitchen space. 550 and an ear tuned in to anything out of the ordinary. $500 in time and labor any call from Xcel. See above there should be an opportunity for compensation.
We need clear advance notice and estimated time
of outage. As we do special events it is
CATASTROPHIC if whole parties are cancelled.
Both our staff and our customers were scrambling
with no idea if the show would go on or not.
Ultimately all things cancelled. The weather
reporting was far more accurate than the power
notice from Xcel. Xcel posted an image of a blurry Can precedent be found in CA or OR for how to
square covering the entire county - like all have utility/customer interaction? I"m sure all will
parties/events/customers in that area would be out be interested in generators and battery backups
unknown - maybe $1000 unless there is lost of power. Some of our events cancelled because of There needs to be clear protocol for how Pre- now. But that doesn't help special event
We heard from neighbors - about NO insurance for this, but we do have battery backups for basic business i.e. cancelled event, then is much much weather - others went out with NO notice - even cell outages will go, and expectations for every companies planning on gatherings that may/may
60 hours 2hrs notice $11,000.00 we did not cut wages $2,000 No no inventory lost - service business - we lost opportunitiy systems more calls did not work well to reach people. business/customer for how to prepare. not have power at the event.
2 hours No $0.00 0$ None No None None Unknown Unknown Unknown No
Not sure but if they’re going to be more regular
then perhaps the utility can have some program to
Not sure. Our power went out at Yes but it doesn’t make sense to make a claim given the Usually very little because they don’t last for 30+ Keep them as short as possible and give as much help with costs of equipping us with generators,
38 hours 5:30 am on Saturday $5,000.00 $3,000 None Yes $1,500 deductibles hours! notice as possible etc. Haven’t had time to think about it.
We have some back up power. We do have insurance but the Allow property managers to have access and
25 hours Yes 2 hours $3,000.00 none $1,000 Yes $500 deductible is $10,000 so no claim was made. $1000 -$5000 Better communication from Xcel Better communication receive notifications on a property specific basis.
Rolling, shorter blackouts if they are needed.
Advanced notice and better communication Turning power back on to areas not hit as hard by
26+ No N/A N/A N/A Yes, food. $300 None N/A Backup generator throughout wind (natural event) faster
2 workdays zero $10,000.00 $200.00 no TBD closed the office zero better notice keep stop lights on! change companies to a locally owned facility
yes by text and auto phone It all depends when the outage is, for how long, and
message. We have multiple the cost of re-making food. If it happens just prior
properties with Xcel however and or during dinner service, then it costs us about $7-
the messages never said which We were focussed on taking care of the farm. That is where our overtime 10K in lost revenue, $3K in labor recovery and get creative about alternative power options for
one of our properties it was was spent. There was nothing we could do except throw spoiled food away $0-$3K in food per day per closure. Most outages generators, solar backup power, knowing which functioning accurate maps, more notice, not buildings, like solar, so we can keep the
~24 hours referring to. $15,000.00 $3,500 at the restaurant. yes $5,000 None. We are not covered for this. are less than 3 hours, but timing is everthing. exact addresses will be shut off shutting off power so arbitrarily community safe and minimize damage.
Good communication, more realistic times for
No - we were able to use the We have insurance but they make it very difficult to make a claim. turning power back on. An understanding of why Updated emails/texts on what is going on. If power
cooler of our other store, We are lucky to have two stores and share walk-in space if both some businesses/homes were impacted while is not coming on at noon, just let us know so we If businesses could keep their power, that would
26 hours No $3,000.00 $700 none thankfully none stores are not impacted. $400 others were not. can prepare properly. be very helpful!
BI insurance does not cover this type of situation. Our insurance
only covers related to a specific direct impact or loss. We do not We had the potential to lose a 30-40k in inventory More heads and more insight into the duration of Communication strategies, transportation
48hrs 2hr $70,000.00 10k 1500 No 0 have a generator but we drove perishables to working fridges. the expected closure Communicate well in advance scenarios that planned for downed traffic lights
We do have insurance but the deductible is high. We do not have Start a fund to help businesses install alternative Prepare for more of these. subsidize large battery
zero, despite closing in anticipation No notice was received $12,000.00 $1,500 n/a no none other measures to operate without power. $700 power sources. Better, accurate notification. more lead time and accurate notifications backup systems and generators.
Yes. Power companies should be required to notify
We borrowed a refrigerator truck and salvaged the majority of our businesses in writing (via text, email, etc.) and with
inventory. We also bought $2,000 worth of dry ice to cool what We need a proper warning system. We need better emergency phone calls to warn them about
we couldn't move. We have biz interruption insurance, but we've interactive maps. We need real time updates. And widespread outages, with as much advance notice
had multiple outages in the past, and had 2 claims in the past 2 we could really use some sort of incentive program as possible. They should also be required to have
No. Zero notice. Zero years. My insurance warned me they may drop me if I make Depends on length of outage. In this case, it was 3 to assist small businesses in investing in expensive up to date information on their websites - not blurry
3 days communication. $50,000.00 $15,000 N/A YES $10,000 another claim now. days, and my estimate is close to $50,000. generators and other preventative measures. See above. maps with zero useable information.
Yes we were notified 1 day
We never had power cut before $0.00 $0 $0 No $0 Yes $500
Notify well beforehand. Have ready access to dry
30 hours No direct notice was given $15,000.00 $4,000 None Yes $3,500 Not to my knowledge ~$3,000-$5,000 ice, better cooling systems, etc Not do it at all
For major outages like this one, they need to
compensate businesses. They receive help from Yes, Xcel should be held financially responsible for
2 days Yes via text $8,000.00 $1,000 0 Yes $500 Yes, but there is a deductible 1,000 Dont allow commercial businesses to be affected. the government and they need to help us. planned outages of more than 3 hours
There was an email a few hours Better communication and more notice. Some
before the shut off, but I didn't rhyme or reason as to why some parts of Boulder
see it until my wife got a phone were shut off, but a few blocks away, others were
call about our house and I looked not. Having a better estimate as to when power will
More than a day for it. $9,000.00 $2,000 0, Salaried employees dealt with it. Yes 750 Yes, but I'm not sure it kicks in for one day. Still investigating Not sure be restored. Generators, refrigerated trucks. See above Not sure
XL needs to invest in their power system to make it
more robust to stand windstorms that happen all I think the public utility commission should do a
the time in Colorado. I’ve lived through my whole much better job on policing XL to make sure that
life. They give out $1.5 billion worth of dividends. they are reinvesting their profits into the product
Maybe they should save part of that and reinvest in that serves the public. This is a huge economic hit
the power system as they have a monopoly and Obviously, their live updates on their website were for the City Of Boulder and all the people that had
considering buying a generator so these bozos don’ weak and nonexistent. Their communications were to throw their food away, i.e. homeowners the food
We never lost power 3 1/2 hours $15,000.00 4250 0 0 0 Yes, but it only kicks in after 48 hours Variable t cut my power on the busy weekend. poor, not nearly enough advanced planning. bank, etc.
No notice. I called and was told I
Not sure. Was told it would be from should be receiving a notice but Better notice. I was told the power would be shut off We need exact addresses that will be impacted
3pm sat to noon sun. never did. $9,000.00 $2,000 0 No. 0 No insurance coverage. $5,000 and I'm not sure it even was. Better communication. with more timely notice.
3pm Saturday - 4pm Sunday 25hrs Yes, by neighboring businesses. A four hour notice before the power was turned off. $6,250.00 $1,050.00 0 Yes $450.00 We do not have measures for a long term outage. Yes we have business
A few thousand
interruption
dollars.
insurance but we wouldn't want ourMore
ratesoftoan
goadvanced
up. notice and identify the actual addresses
Reimbursement
the outage
for losses
will effect. Reimbursement for losses
No we were not notified, We
actually heard from staff My staff suffered the loss of two days of work with our staffing levels and Whole Have a designated team to speak and
28 Hours members $55,000.00 house gratuity it would make up 25,000 dollars in lost wages We paid line staff overtime and there was possibly 2500.00 in OT Yes we did 5,000 Yes , but it seems like insurance will not pay 15,000 dollars in combined labor and purchases Advance warning and timely communication communicate to businesses
Not definitively, and only a couple Treat these events the same as public school
26 hrs hrs ahead of time. $15,000.00 $3,800 Very little. $1,000.00 No insurance. Back up Generators. $1,500.00. Plus lost revenue Better earlier communication from xcel Foreigive electric bills closings - snow days
Maybe set up sites for food businesses to hold
their perishable items. Sure that’s probably
expensive for them but it’s also expensive for
No. We found out from our Some items yes, but we were Better communication, maybe contacting restaurants and grocery stores as well to lose
regular customers that morning fortunate to have friends with businesses directly with more than a couple hours product unnecessarily. Perhaps consider working
that they were notified around refrigerated trucks who were Yes. We’ve not really experienced many outages so that is the It would depend on the situation. A few hundred to notice so we have time to plan. I’m sure Xcel knew toward moving power lines under ground over time
24 hours 11AM. $5,500.00 $1,586 No overtime was necessary kind enough to help us out. 1000 extent of preparation. a few thousand dollars. they were planning this prior to Saturday morning. to prevent this from being necessary. I don’t think the government needs to get involved.
Didn’t loose power Na NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA NA
Yes - food product from all 7
restaurants. Wine / Juice from We have business interruption insurance, but there is a 24 hours more communication as discussed on the XCel
26 hours No notification $80,000.00 $15,000 the bars $10,000 waiting period so wouldn't kick in $2K forum call Be proactive
No, because we closed and Tell us if the power is indeed going to go out. We
were able to put everything didn't want to get caught with all the food out and
away and not open the Not turn off the power as a "preventive" measure. open tabs that customers can't use credit cards to So many things. Mostly the things I've already
coolers/freezers before the Yes, but filing a claim for one day isn't worth it. We shouldn't be in Let us know if the power is indeed going to go out pay for. "Crash kits" haven't been a thing for a long mentioned. We lost out on a busy sales day for the
Don't know. We closed at 3PM ~11:30AM $4,000.00 $1,080 power went out, if it did this position Varies or not. time. NCAA tournament on top of being a Saturday.
I received a notice at 12:36 pm
on Saturday from Downtown
Our Businesses never lost power. Boulder - the only entity actively That answer is different for each event - time down, Communication. Clear and succinct Communication. Clear and succinct Better communication and clear actions that will be
None of them. communicating on Saturday. $100,000.00 $35,000.00 N/A No. N/A. 24 hour delay tone of year, etc. communication. communication. taken - when, for how long, communication.
Try to keep the power on for the businesses, I
understand why it had to be done. But when
resident power is shutoff most of the time local not unless they want to pay my loss of revenue lol
24+ houirs Yes. A few hours $5,000.00 n/a n/a n/a n/a no an hour businesses are their only safe haven (joking obviously)
I do not think this should be solely their decision
Everyone wants to promote safety but taking the
stop lights off the power grid was a very dangerous
move and many people were terrified having to go
through intersection after intersection with NO
ONE directing traffic! Also there needs to be proof
of a more imminent threat. The winds did not pick
up until Saturday night so the fact they turned the
None of these businesses can run with out power. power off so early on Saturday was not ok. I was
If we can't be open, we have revenue loss. So if spared this time but next time I may not be so
We did not receive any they would like to pay a per diem to everyone lucky. The city needs to establish measures to
notifications which is interesting impacted that would be fair. They would also need determine whether or not it is necessary for them
because half our block did lose We did not lose power, however I assume that by Sunday people knew to avoid I did not work overtime nor did any of my employees but we were the lucky We do but would have to check our deductible and whether or not Usually just loss of business because luckily Better communication and clarification on how to cover lost wages to employees who could not to do this in future. Ex: Winds are a certain mph for
We never lost power power. the area so I am sure it had some impact on us. N/A ones! n/a $0 this would be covered clothing does not spoil necessary it was to do this work. a certain amount of time.
Notify us in a timely manner. And, don't be trigger
Through word of mouth Saturday we have battery backups on the computers and alarm. Yes, we happy with the switch--it takes you way to long to
About 26 Hours about 11 am $3,000.00 $500 NA No None--just sales have insurance It really hasn't happened before. get the power back. Notify them.
0 We weren’t without power. Business as usual Na
Barely notified - 1 hour before the This hasn't happened to us for that long of an
outage and I was alerted by No we do not have was to cope with power outages. we do have outage. Generally we just loose business for an More notice as to when it will be shut down and
2 days another business owner $10,000.00 2750 Salaried workers did the extra work so no overtime paid Yes $1,000 insurance afternoon and nothing is wasted out when it will return. Better communication and planning Not sure
Since the weather forecast comes at least a week
Not enough warning. To prepare in Advance. Please notify us at least 5 days prior
Over 24 hrs for the outgage $2,000.00 $240 N/A Minimum/ lunch in refrigerator No loss of inventory Yes Just the loss of business Underground wiring Better communication to disconnect the power
Yes, upgrade these equipment and bury lines.
Boulder is a windy place they should be prepared
and not have to shut off power. We have had much
Only from our landlord, never worse wind events and will have many more worse
30 hours from Xcel. 2 hours before $22,000.00 $1,500 0 NO 0 Have one POS which can run on cellular. 0 than this.

Timestamp Type of Business
4/9/2024 13:21:25 Retail Jewelry Store
4/9/2024 10:30:19 Retail liquor store
4/15/2024 17:36:28 Retail Shop
Retail shop selling vinyl
4/9/2024 10:32:56 records
4/9/2024 19:59:59 Retail Store
retail/ deli/ ice cream
4/9/2024 16:02:18 shop
4/11/2024 23:15:57 Retail/Art Studio
4/8/2024 18:00:47 Retail/gift
4/10/2024 12:33:23 Retail/Resale
Senior Care, Assisted
4/9/2024 11:56:06 Living, skilled Nursing
4/9/2024 14:02:37 Service / Yoga Studio
4/11/2024 11:57:14 thrift shop
4/8/2024 17:58:28 Veterinary Clinic
4/9/2024 14:06:49 Wine Shop / Deli
4/9/2024 6:28:35 Winery
Workshops in Lufe/Art
4/9/2024 14:34:15 process & creativity
4/9/2024 15:01:03
4/14/2024 9:13:32
Were you notified in advance of
How long was your business the planned outage? If so, how
without power? much notice did you receive?
yes by phone and email 4 hours
25 hours in advance
I was notified, we had about 5
about 30 hours hours notice.
Saturday 3pm- Sunday ^pm I had a robocall on my cell phone 303-775-4239. the call did not specify the address they were calling about
25 hours, 30 minutes yes. 90 minute notice.
3:00 pm Saturday & All Day
Sunday No
28 hours no
Unknown No
26 hours Two hours notice, if that.
1.5 days No
Frasier contacted the Xcel
account representative and we
were told we were NOT on the
list to cut power but a few
minutes laster we were notified
that we were. We had lest than
28 hours and 15 minutes one hour to mobilize.
no - only by students asking if we
0 hours were open
24-36 hours No
27 hours 4 hours notice
Saturday at 3pm we lost it, got it
back by Sunday night around 8pm No notice
2 days Yes but it was not definitive
2 days Yes but only minutes
Did you experience spoilage or How much does it typically cost your business to What improvements would you suggest to reduce Are there any specific policies or regulations you
If you had to call off employees, how much in payroll did your business not pay out If you had to work overtime in order to deal with the outage, how much did damage of perishable goods How much do you estimate your business lost in inventory or stock during the What measures does your business have in place to cope with recover from a power outage (e.g., repairs, the impact of power outages on businesses like How can utility companies better support believe should be implemented to address this
During the outage, how much revenue do you estimate your business lost? (lost wages to employees)? you have to pay in overtime? during the power outage? outage? power outages? Do you have business interruption insurance? restocking)? yours? businesses during power disruptions? issue?
For a scheduled outage, be more specific about
shut down/power on schedule. It was the
miscommunication about the 12pm turn on and
then uncertainty about when it was actually going
to happen that created such chaos and stress.
My staff showed up ready to open the store at 1 on
Sun, we had not idea whether they should wait
around or not.
Most concerning for me was that the battery back
up on my alarm only last a certain amount of time. The city needs to be better prepared. There needs
If I have no alarm, my inventory is not insured. I to be more VISIBLE police presence and a way to
would have had to hire an armed guard for my make sure our businesses are protected. They
store if outage had lasted longer and that takes say they had an increase force but no one saw
time to organize. them. Even cops directing traffic would help. It
My husband made the call to leave food at his was like a free for all and I think we were all very
restaurant in south boulder thinking that the power lucky that there were no bad events.
was going to be restored at noon on Sun. It didnt Thank you DBP for being the only true leadership
get turned back on until 8pm at which time all food through this situation. I got an email from the
needed to be thrown out. He would have made a chamber at 3:02 saying the power would be shut
different decision had he had more information or off at 3pm. And there was no direction from the city
Better communication/not shut down the primary at least known that the outage would be longer at all so businesses not members of DBP or the
$5,000.00 $500 0 no 0 yes n/a business district in Boulder than stated on the xcel email. chamber had no communication at all. Shameful.
$5,000.00 I am paying my employees for those hours, resulting in more lost profit for the store N/A no none We will be exploring options to cope with outages. none bury power lines bury power lines and give us more notice
$16,000.00
so of course it was unclear as to whether it was my business or home they were calling1300
about. yes $210 N/A I do with a high deductible. Never had to deal with this before except during flood,Communication!
actual disater. We need to be able to count on our utility
More suppliers
thought as
toto
give
impact
us warning
to the community!
ahead of time. All businesses deserve to have some kind of warning system by cell phone and email with proper notice. Be sp
I want to know how they deal with this same
situation with freezing temperatures? This same "
not much. it is all about the lost sales and hours for What is Excel's plan going forward? Would they do plan" by them would lead to frozen pipes and
$12,000.00 $750 0 no o None staff. this again in January of the temps are below 0? Communication. Not one of Xcel's strengths. major damage for all homes and businesses.
Advance notice when the considerations to shut More direct communication. Clearly they know
$13,500.00 $950 N/A No $0.00 We have not decided if we will file a claim. Time.....our product is shelf-stable. power begins. More communication. where to send the bills....please communicate.
1. 200 lbs of Dry Ice: $300: I was on the phone for 3 hours and
enlisted 6 friends to help me call Dry Ice places (every shop was
out in the Boulder/ Longmont/ Superior Area.)
2. Because I have 8 freezer and refridgeration units in the shop,
and my 2 large walk-ins, not everything could fit in the walk- ins.
Luckily, a friend, Michael from High Country, is building a new
shop. One of his employees told me that he has all empty
equipment in the location and I should move all of my excess into
his location. I paid employees to move food /beverages, etc to his
shop for an hour. I let the employees go home because they
couldn't help find dry ice places, and I really wasn't sure of my
plan.
3. I then had my 6 friends come and break up dry ice for 3 hours
and load it into both walkins to keep the rest of the perishables
cold.
4. I had all of my employees show up at noon on Sunday because
it seemed as the power was going to be back on by then. It
wasn't. I then paid them to clean out all of the fridges and
freezers, so I they could at least get paid for an hour.
5. I also asked employees to come to the shop at 6 am, 9 am, and
4 pm to check on the fridge and freezer to make sure they were
holding temp. They called me at 430 on Sunday and told me that
the power was back on.
6. Then, I had to open 2 hours late on Monday because I couldn't
get my product out of High Country until 8 am. Thus, I had to put
on extra payroll to move the product back from High Country.
7. On Monday, the power was back on. However, I noticed that Communication and Money: I only knew that they
the Walk- in freezer was no longer holding temperature. I crossed power MAY go out due to a call on my cellphone
my fingers and came back today to realize that the defrost timer about the power going out at my house in Superior.
had broken due to the power shut off. My refrigeration man said Xcel never called the shop and said that the power
that the timer failed most likely due to power surges and outages. was going out on the Mall. It felt like Armageddon
He installed a new timer and checked the units generated. $644 Communication and Money: We are small business on the Mall. Locals, tourists and shop managers
later, the freezer is working properly. However, because the owners and every penny counts. So, when you lose were coming in to talk to me. Shop owners like
freezer was down, I had to pay my employees to move 50 tubs of almost 2 days of business, and rent is due, we have myself were contacting each other wondering what
ice cream to two smaller freezers on site. to dig into our savings to pay. The employees live to do. Should spend money on dry ice? What if our
8. I also lost 20 pre- made ice cream cakes. I now have to pay pay check to paycheck, and they didn't get 40 hours power doesn't go out? Every dollar that was spent Time- can we have more time and more certainty if
$10,000.00 $2,000.00 $100 Yes $1,200 some $20 an hour for 5 hours to remake all of the cakes. $2000- $10,000 this week due to being closed on Sunday. on power outage came directly out of savings. the power is going to go out?
$3,000.00 Employees left early none None none Yes but dealing with other current insurance claim n/a loss was due to class cancellation Better advanced notice Give businesses time to prepare for outages A 24 hour notice would be great
There should be a policy put in place to make sure
excel can not just arbitrarily shut the power off. I
truly believe their actions were to protect
themselves from further scrutiny, not our
community. I also believe a multibillion dollar
profiting company like excel should have to pay for
Person Hotspots and jumpstart portable car batteries to run the In the 10 years I’ve worked for Bliss we’ve never Notifying sooner or just not shutting the power off. the loss of revenue by small businesses affected
$6,000.00 $300 No overtime pay No N/A POS, but who what’s to shop in the dark? No insurance. experienced a power outage of this magnitude. Not shutting the power off Offering us compensation for lost revenue. by their decisions.
$12,500.00 1000 No Advance Notice - Emergency Protocol
Essential business like senior living organizations
should be spared from the planned outages. The
impact on older adults is significant and the risk of
Most overtime was done by salaried employees but my best guest is several Several thousand dollars depending on repairs and Advanced notifications and special consideration Advanced notice, better communications, injury and death is significantly higher during a
minimal revenue lost but expenses went up. no call offs thousand dollars Yes 8500 Preparation and planning and we do have insurance refueling of generators for a healthcare organization resources/partnerships for generator refueling prolonged power outage
More advanced notice, or a notice out to everyone
even if they are not going to have their power
turned off so all businesses and residents are If power is planned to be turned off for preventative
$0.00 0 0 no 0 no aware of the plan. More information about why and timing of event reasons, as much notice as possible.
We suffer from loss of sales as well as loss of
restocking time, hard to put a concrete number on Give us notice that an outage is happening--we had Notify your business customers--it seemed like the
We have no option but to close our store if we don't have power, but between the two in this case would be about zero notice so no time to prepare communications residents were notified in our area, but businesses
$2,000.00 212 n/a no n/a no business interruption insurance. one day worth of sales, $4,500. to our customers and volunteers. Give us updates on what progress is being made. were not.
None. But we could have lost 10s of thousands in drugs. We are a cancer
center and I have drug vials that cost thousands that are in my fridge and
freezer. Some of these products are precious and irreplaceable due to not We just need more notice. There was no need to
being manufactured anymore. I had to call in my staff to pack up and move this Short power outages will not effect us. Long ones will. No scramble like we did. The weather warning was
Zero zero zero None inventory to my home, with very little notice. insuance. none. there all week.
A. Tell us beforehand, if we had actual notice we
could have made more of a plan in place. B. Figure
Stocking the bare minimum items cost us over out what neighborhoods will and won't have power
About 265# of cheese, meat, and sandwich supplies, and 130 or so units of $5,000 and we still need to fill a soft cheese case and why. Why was all of pearl street down but the Be more communicative and educational with what
N/A N/A Yes stock. We have reached out to see if we do have interruption insurance. and buy sandwich supplies. houses right next to it had power. is happening.
$3,000.00 $400 0 Yes $100 Maybe - checking with insurance if this event is covered $500 Burry the power lines Reimbursement
$0.00 0 Exhaustion No lucky to have a generator 0 No Unknown
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