Xcel Volunteers Sent to East Coast to Restore Power

Hurricane Irene knocked out power to 7.4 million homes and businesses this weekend and the outages could last until Labor Day.

Xcel Energy sent volunteers from Colorado early Monday morning to Connecticut to help restore power.

A spokesperson with Xcel said 60 volunteers, including linemen, mechanics, managers and safety personnel, are traveling across country, driving 44 work trucks to the east coast.

The volunteers are expected to be there for about two weeks, though no return date has been set. Normal duties will be covered while they are away.