Trinidad plans 10-hour power outage Tuesday for infrastructure repairs
Trinidad customers will lose power at 5 p.m. Tuesday for a planned 10-hour outage tied to pole and cross-arm replacements. The city says it is acting now to prevent bigger failures later.
City of Trinidad electric customers will lose power at 5 p.m. Tuesday, May 12, in a planned outage expected to last about 10 hours while crews replace aging poles and cross-arms across the system.
The city said restoration is estimated for about 3 a.m. Wednesday, May 13, or sooner if the work ends early. Trinidad said the outage is needed because of aging infrastructure and that the repairs are meant to keep the electrical system reliable by making essential upgrades before equipment fails unexpectedly.
The timing will matter for households trying to make it through the night, especially anyone relying on medical devices, refrigerated medications or food in the refrigerator and freezer. The city advised residents to use flashlights instead of candles, keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed, unplug sensitive electronics and check on neighbors who may need help. Small businesses and workers with early-morning schedules will also need to plan around the overnight interruption, along with anyone driving after dark or before sunrise.
Trinidad said no outage notifications will be sent during the scheduled work because the shutdown is already on the calendar. The city is also launching a new alert system, TextPower, for future utility updates. For broader emergency alerts in Las Animas County, the city said its notification system has changed from CodeRED to RAVE/Smart911.
The Power & Light Department said this kind of project is part of its regular maintenance program, which includes cross-arm changeouts, pole replacement, tree trimming, streetlight and traffic-light repairs and transformer replacement. Trinidad also said its power plant can generate backup power during outages and scheduled maintenance. The department is part of the Arkansas River Power Authority and purchases power from San Isabel Electric.
Customers with questions can call the city at 719-846-2266 during normal business hours. For emergencies, the city said to call 911. The outage is a reminder that the repairs disrupting one night’s routine are meant to reduce the risk of a larger, unplanned failure later.
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