A large branch snapped from a tree in Minneapolis after severe storms rolled through the Twin Cities Monday night into Tuesday morning. (Erica Pearson/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

A massive storm ravaged infrastructure and downed trees in Minnesota on Monday evening and Tuesday morning, leaving upwards of 150,000 households without electricity at its peak. How long will it take for power to come back? And what do those stranded without power for days need to know about water usage? Here are a few commonly asked questions and recommendations from Xcel Energy:

When will my power come back?

Most Minnesota cities are expected to have power restored by 7 a.m. Thursday, according to Xcel Energy’s outage map, although a post by the utility on the social media site X said some customers might have to wait until the end of Thursday. Many already had their power restored. Customers can check their area’s outage status by visiting the utility’s online outage map and clicking on “Reports” on the left side of the screen. From there you can narrow the number of outages by city or ZIP code, or click on Outages Details to see current details of the outage and the estimated restoration time.

As of Wednesday morning, there were still about 30,000 customers in the Twin Cities area without power.

Customers can text the word “STAT” to Xcel’s outage line, which is “98936,″ for their area’s status, or by entering their number online.

“We focus on repairs that will restore power for the largest number of customers first,” Xcel spokesman Theo Keith said in an emailed statement. “After that, we work down to the neighborhood level, before handling individual customer outages.”

Can I flush my toilet or take a shower during the outage?

Most plumbing does not need electricity to run, and cold water will still flow normally from sinks, but tankless water heaters need electricity to provide hot water and will provide only cold water during an outage. Tank-style water heaters will still be able to provide hot water as long as they are filled, but it will be a limited amount before the water becomes cold.

Toilets typically use water pressure and gravity to function, which means a power outage will not affect them, according to an informational page on the Roto-Rooter Plumbing & Drain Service website. However, some models rely on a pump to generate a strong water flow, in which case the toilet’s tank will not fill up anymore due to the pumps being down. In that case, residents will need to fill the water tank manually by pouring in a bucket of water.

How long will my food last in a powerless fridge or freezer?

A refrigerator will keep food safe for up to four hours after the power goes out, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture website. If the power is off longer, residents can transfer food to a cooler and fill it with ice or frozen gel packs.

Full freezers will hold their cold temperature for two full days but if only half full will maintain their temperature only about 24 hours, the USDA said. Residents can place dry ice or a block of ice in their freezers if power is going to be out for a longer period. Fifty pounds of dry ice should preserve food in an 18-cubic-foot freezer for two days, the USDA said.

Food placed in the freezer door will defrost faster than items in the back or bottom of the unit.