Xcel Energy Crews Headed to Puerto Rico

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -- A crew of utility workers from the Upper Midwest is heading to Puerto Rico to help with the ongoing power restoration efforts following Hurricane Maria.

Twenty-five Xcel Energy workers from Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota, and Wisconsin are traveling to Puerto Rico Monday. They will depart from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.

Xcel Energy says they'll be working in Caguas, a mountainous and remote region in the southeast. That's where the storm traveled inland causing significant damage. The crews will work with incident management teams that have partnered with the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority.

Xcel Energy is one of more than 20 electric companies participating in a nationwide mutual assistance response that's bringing nearly 1,500 additional workers to Puerto Rico. About 40 percent of power customers are without electricity nearly four months after Maria struck.