36,000 Xcel properties lose power from wind storm

I'm by 10th Avenue and 11th Street in South Fargo, the neighborhood remains blacked out, but we found out today being without power in this day and age, is not so bad.

MARK SAILER - No Power: "We heard a big crack and I figured it was a big branch going down."

He was right, this tree broke off just outside Mark Sailer's house.

"Then we heard a 2nd crack then we heard banging on the house."

The broken tree pulled the power line and ripped it off the supporter on Sailer's home. It rested there until this afternoon.

"We saw some pops and some sparking, that was it."

He has been without power since. This evening, as commotion of cleanup happens outside, Sailer sits peacefully inside. The fridge is running on back up power, but no lights, TV, or computer; No problem.

"The whole family likes to read and with cell phone service and smart phones they can still get their video fix."

Down the road from Sailers, drivers are battling the power outage. 12 signal lights in Fargo were out today, most of them on South University. Sailer was told the area will likely be down until tomorrow, no rush for him.

"Sometimes the peace and quiet is nice."

To get everyone back on is taking awhile because Xcel is dealing with a lot of small, isolated damage spots.

Tags: todd kurtz, reporter, energy, home, family, news, fargo, sailer