Thousands without power in western Wisconsin Wednesday morning

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. (WEAU) - Thousand of homes are without power in western Wisconsin after severe storms rolled through the region.

According to service tracker poweroutage.us, over 14,000 customers in northern Wisconsin were still without power as of 6:45 a.m. Wednesday.

An additional 35,000 customers were without power in Minnesota, most of them in the Twin Cities metro area. Strong winds, heavy rain and lightning set off storm warnings in several area counties. There are dozens of reports of downed trees and power lines.

As of 6:45 a.m., over 1,600 customers in Dunn County were without power, as well as several hundred in Chippewa, Clark, Eau Claire and Pierce counties. Nearly 30% of Sawyer County customers, 2,252 out of 7,482 total tracked customers, were without power just before 7 a.m.

The Wisconsin Department of Health Services says that power outages can cause situations that threaten health or safety. Here are some general tips about how to navigate the loss of electricity:

• An electrical power outage or interruption may cause operational problems with your furnace. If your furnace is not operating, be careful of hazards, which can occur from alternative heating sources.
• Do NOT use alternative heating sources such as space heaters, grills, and other appliances that can give off dangerous gases. These appliances must be properly vented. Carbon monoxide is a concern. The use and ventilation of portable power generators must be carefully monitored.
• If you use electrical heaters powered by portable generators, be careful where you place the heater and do not leave the heater unattended.
• When a power outage occurs, food safety becomes a concern.
• If you have electrical problems, call the your local utility company.

Xcel Energy’s power outage map can be located here. Xcel Energy also offers tips on safety during power outages, which you can read here.

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