When Colorado power outages hit, local businesses became community hubs for some Arvada families

Friday was a difficult day for some Coloradans who have had to endure a second public safety power shutoff this week and no clear timeline as to when power would be turned back on at their homes. Strong winds blasted the Front Range once again on Friday, including in Jefferson County.

In the western part of the city of Arvada, on the western edge of the Denver metro area, many of families who were without power turned to local businesses that still did have power and turned them into community hubs of sorts so they could get things done.

The Nelson family was just one of several who were navigating extended power outages on Friday -- with only a few days before the holidays.

"It was darker than I thought it would be, because when I woke up I saw the Christmas tree, and I'm like, 'What's going on?' Because the lights weren't on and nothing would turn on," 7-year-old Hayes Nelson said.

Schools were closed in the area on Friday, but professional work went on for many of the adults impacted.

"My husband's on a call nearby. I'm working trying to get those performance reviews in right by the end of the year. So yeah, we're just making the best of it," mom Marni Nelson said.

The Nelsons were among the dozens who showed up at the local food hall, Freedom Street Social, for a place to go.

Owner Nick Costanzo said he lost power at his home, but the power was still on at the restaurant.

"And so it's been, you know, hit or miss every day, and then today, there's more people (without power) than yesterday," he said.

"You can see people on iPads and laptops and kind of working. You know, throughout the whole area," said Costanzo.

Bill and Donna Kordsiemon and their family were looking for a place to recharge and found it at Freedom Street Social. Even a few hours without power can impact their ability to care for their son, Eric, who is in a wheelchair.

"At night, it got pretty cold, so we had to make sure he was warm, because he can't regulate himself," said Bill.

And like so many others, their biggest frustration is the uncertainty about when power will go back on.

"Now they're saying we will have part this second time around -- it's not going to be two days instead of a day," he said.

The prolonged power outages can be incredibly impactful to those with medical equipment or who have medications that maybe need to be refrigerated.

Xcel Energy says they have a program which provides extra alerts and notifications for planned and unplanned outages.