Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) was busy over the weekend restoring power and repairing damaged infrastructure caused by the tornado and storms that came through Rochester last Thursday evening.

Over 5,000 customers lost power due to the storm with interruption times ranging from less than an hour to over a 24 hour span. Much of the damage was seen in the north part of Rochester where the winds were the strongest, but outages occurred in all four quadrants of the city. The winds and rain knocked over trees and blew branches into power lines causing the interruptions in service and in some cases, completely knocked down the lines and poles.

As the damage was inspected by RPU line workers, the decision was made to reach out to other utilities for mutual aid response. Friday night, crews from Austin, Owatonna, and Elk River responded and were working with RPU crews on power restoration. By late Friday night, there were 1,500 customers still without power, by Saturday morning there were only 100 customers without power. The work continued throughout the day on Saturday until mid-afternoon when all of the known outages were repaired.

Over 20 RPU line workers and many others from RPU and other utilities worked tirelessly to restore power to the city of Rochester. In addition, other RPU staff were available to communicate with customers and to offer assistance over the duration of the past weekend.

“The hard work of RPU staff and the crews from Austin, Owatonna, and Elk River was invaluable in dealing with the recent storm damage. The most important thing over the course of the past few days is that no one was injured and that we were able to restore power to all of our customers,” said RPU General Manager Larry Koshire.

Customers that have trees or branches which are close to interfering with overhead power lines, should call RPU to have it inspected and trimmed if necessary.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 47,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 36,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

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Over the course of the past five days, Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) has responded to over 500 separate power outage calls caused by tree and wind damage.

The winds and rain from the storm Thursday evening knocked over trees and blew branches into power lines across the city causing the widespread outages. By mid Saturday afternoon all of the known power outages were addressed and repaired.

Trees and branches that came down in the storm or that had to be cut to ensure safety and reliability will not be removed from the property by RPU. It is the property owner’s responsibility to remove the cut branches and limbs. Customers can contact a private contractor to remove their tree debris or can remove it themselves and deliver it to the Hathaway Brush Disposal Site at 2564 50^th Ave NW for a fee.

If there are still limbs or branches that are causing a safety or electric reliability problem, customers can call RPU to have the situation inspected.

Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) is alerting customers that are still without power, that the outage could possibly go into the weekend.

The strong winds and rain from last night’s storm knocked over trees and blew branches into power lines across the city. The damage is extensive and the outages are widespread.

Contractors that were working today with RPU crews will be extending their time to help with the restoration effort and RPU crews will be working around the clock to restore power. A mutual aid call has been made to local and regional utilities asking for restoration assistance. RPU will also have additional people on the phones Friday night and into the weekend to answer customer calls.

If customers are without power or are on life support equipment, RPU encourages them to call and give their location, if they have not already done so that their outage can be documented and attended to. Customers are also strongly encouraged to contact RPU if they see any energized wires down or fire caused by power lines. Contact RPU immediately at 507-280-1500 if there is any sign of danger.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 47,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 36,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

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Rochester Public Utilities (RPU) is warning customers and cleanup crews about the electrical dangers associated with storm clean up.

The overnight storms caused a large amount of damage to trees in the community, which proved to be the cause of many of the power outages. Hazards such as down power lines, energized tree branches or poles may exist in, or under the debris. Use extreme caution when uncovering and picking up debris. Additionally, when entering a cleanup area, wear safety equipment including a hard hat and safety gloves. Always survey the area before entering it, including the overhead area for hanging tree limbs on power lines.

If customers or cleanup crews have any concerns or questions about a cleanup area, do not enter the area and contact RPU immediately at 507-280-1500.

About Rochester Public Utilities

As the municipal utility of Rochester, Minn., for more than 110 years, RPU provides high-quality and reliable electricity to over 47,000 customers.  Water customers number more than 36,000.  RPU continually investigates innovative technologies to help customers realize the best value from the services they receive.  Current initiatives include fuel cell research, wind power, and photovoltaic offerings.

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Crews have been working around the clock since 9:30 p.m. Thursday night and will continue rotating through shifts until all customers have power restored. Currently, we still have 1,700 customers without power.