More Than 4,000 Still Without Power In North Minneapolis

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Xcel Energy says more than 4,000 north Minneapolis customers are still without power after Sunday's tornado.

By 8 p.m. Wednesday, crews were able to rebuild enough of the company's distribution system to restore service to an additional 1,000 customers. That brings the number of customers still without power to about 4,050.

Crews will begin their work early Thursday and expect to restore the majority of the remaining customers by late Thursday.

Spokesman Tom Hoen says the company couldn't get crews into damaged areas immediately on Sunday because of debris left by the tornado. Law enforcement also restricted the area.

Xcel Energy didn't realize how devastating the damage was until Monday. In some areas, employees had to consult their maps to determine where utility poles used to be.

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