Some city offices will be closed due to Xcel Energy Public Safety Power Shutoff

BOULDER, Colo. - Xcel Energy has confirmed that it will move forward with proactive public safety power shutoffs in parts of the city, starting at 10 a.m. today.

The following city buildings are in the map shared by the companyand will be closed due to a lack of electricity: the Penfield Tate II Municipal Building, Park-Central, New Britain and the West Age Well Center. These buildings will reopen as power is restored, but Xcel Energy has cautioned this could take up to a few days as crews will need to manually inspect the system to ensure there is no damage before turning power back on.

All other city offices and facilities, including recreation centers, are expected to open based on their normal operating hours.

It is important for community to understand that even parts of the city that are not in the shutoff area could be impacted by today's wind event. The entire city and county are under a Red Flag Warning. Power outages from the winds themselves and other emergencies, including fires, are possible. The city strongly encourages all community members to remain alert and be prepared.

The city and county Emergency Operations Center has been activated. Be sure you are signed up to receive urgent emergency alerts from police or fire officials at www.bocoalert.org. Additional helpful public safety information is available on the Office of Disaster Management's website. You can also sign up to receive this information on your phone by texting BOCOINFO to 888777.

If you wish to receive alerts and safety information in a language other than English, please download the Reachwell app on your phone. You will have an option to select the language that works best for you.

The following are some general safety tips:

• There will be no open burning permitted Dec. 17-18; this includes agricultural burning
• Do not burn anything outdoors or conduct spark-producing activities
• Treat any intersection without powered traffic lights as a four-way stop and assume any downed power lines are energized
• Follow public health guidance on food safety for any food that is stored in a shutoff area
• Stay away from damaged lines, trees, and equipment
• Report hazards through 911 if there is immediate danger
• Have an evacuation plan ready - know what modes of transportation you could take, have them fueled/powered up, know your routes, and what essential or irreplaceable items you would need to take with you
• If you typically keep your vehicle in a garage, make sure you know how to open your garage when the power is out (red pull tab, then you must be able to manually open the door), or consider parking your vehicle outside