No picture on this one. You can see it on the news. It's nearly 1 a.m. here and I've been following an interruption. My dear friend, Will, was talking with me on the phone from Sonoma Tuesday and stopped mid sentence. He reported that his radio had just issued a public service notice that electricity would be off for his town --and the entire coast of our state for 5 to 6 days.
We rang off and I checked the PG&E trouble map on line. They were canceling service up and down the state --mainly coastal except for San Jose and some other Silicon Valley tax fountains-- all the way inland to Juaquin Murrietta (who might have admired their cold-bloodedness), Rancho Cordova and various spots of the Sierra range. Why? Because PG&E decided we will have high winds and their electric lines are not up to handling them.
Wednesday morning, we woke to a mild breeze. Now the day is over; it is 1:05 a.m. and I shall doubtless wake to a mild autumn day tomorrow. PG&E (Pacific Gas and Electric) has extended its forecast to 7 days.
Millions of people are involved. Many, like me, depend on private, electrically operated, wells for water. All depend on refrigerators and freezers for safe food. And I can't, without unmanly tears, think about those who rely on Albuterol nebulizers and O2 generators to get through the day.
Please advise.
My heart goes out to everyone affected.
ReplyDeleteEC, those affected so far number in the millions. There is no high wind danger. By deduction, folks are concluding that PG&E is retaliating against lawsuits from last year's victims from Paradise (Camp) Fire and the Santa Rosa (Tubbs) Fire in 2017. Right now it's a power-show. The "Old West" never quite goes away.
DeleteGobsmacked! In the UK vulnerable people have emergency phone numbers to call for back-up electric supply for medical equipment. May some sense prevail xx
ReplyDeleteOh Lisa, my dear friend Will is in his 80s and his landline is not functional. We talked by cell phones but conversation became impossible when the microwave towers winked out. I have no idea if Sonomans can call emergency services --or anybody.
DeleteThey should be sure that they have some MDI inhalers, O2 tanks not concentrators, I worry about people who need CPAP.
ReplyDeleteAs do I, Mike. I use a metered dose inhaler and, in the past couple years, Boost Oxygen's "95% Pure Aviators' O2", on rough mornings (yes, I really did work outdoors for 40 years). As to CPAP, ambulances use a low voltage version. Couldn't they run on an automotive battery?
DeleteIf I had a solution for you I would have already shared it with your power company. I sure hope everyone out that way gets through this with minimal discomfort.
ReplyDeleteDear Emma, I'm not sure PG&E is welcoming solutions right now --especially not useful ones like you'd give them. What we're witnessing, I'm pretty certain, is an astronomically wealthy company intimidating a population and their state government.
DeleteI read about the power cutoff, Geo., and wondered if your area was involved. Seven days is a very long time to go without power when our health and safety have come to depend on electricity to make things go. I feel for you and all the other folks affected.
ReplyDelete0_Jenny, What I'd both like and hate to see --because the situation is still partially redeemable-- is Bill Johnson (President and CEO of the Pacific Gas and Electric Company) sentenced to jail-time.
DeleteThat is a very long time to go without power....lighrs, AC, refridgeration, medical equipment...good Lord what are they thinking?
ReplyDeleteDear Delores, Agreed! Except for the "thinking" part. They're not thinking about the value and dignity of human lives. They're worried about losing money in Superior Court. It's a showdown.
DeleteIt is as simple as a decision by PG&E and much of California slides into a developing or undeveloped world profile. I'll start by saying power lines should be buried, this is after all the 21st Century. Expense? How about diverting some ROI and corporate earnings for customer service and public safety? I applaud their effort to not contribute to fires, but there may be a more precise and effective and less onerous method of deleting service. I am sorry for those affected and worry about what may be in store for the central coast. Many are looking at back up generator systems but that carries expense and ordeal. If service halted, the billing should reflect a reduction or a rebate.
ReplyDeleteDear Tom, good suggestions all, but I'd prefer to see former Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger visit PG&E Hq and beat the crap out of the administrators. You think Gavin is up for that? Me neither.
DeleteSome times here during a thunder or snow storm things like that happen like that, friend Geo. Then it's just a matter of waiting it out and dig into your deep freeze for food, enjoy by candle light,jump into bed, hide under the covers and listen to cat Theo purr. Been there done that. Love, cat.
ReplyDeleteDear Cat, you make it sound more like camping out under a zillion stars. Thanks for that --we need Theo and you to remind us, life is a gift.
DeleteWow! This is sad!!!
ReplyDeleteIt is indeed sad, Ana. The entire state is waiting for an explanation, which does not seem forthcoming. Our Governor, Gavin Newsom says the PG&E outage is caused by greed. I agree.
DeleteWhen I read about the power being shut off over such a large portion of California, I thought about you and the other people I know who live out there. Then I thought about the millions of people I don't know who live out there. Such an action by a power company seems unbelievable in our country. In some third-world backwoods country, yeah... but HERE? It's unfathomable. It's understandable that the company wants to avoid starting any more wildfires, but rather than cause such hardships and potential medical calamities for so many people by pulling the plug, they should be fixing the problem from their end. It's a hateful hateful way to run a company. I agree with you. Arnie should go beat the crap out of the CEO. (Ya think the power's off at HIS house...?)
ReplyDeleteWonderful Susan, gosh I was just thinking about how things were a half century ago. We sent astronauts to the moon and back --and lit every home and business in California --even on windy days. Sister Minnie called last night; she's ok on Con-Edison down south. A beloved SFPD detective warned Norma that 5 days without electrical service is pretty much anarchy. Roseville and Sacramento(SMUD) are on local Municpal Utilities, so they're ok --heck, both are within a few miles of Nimbus Dam, Folsom Dam. I'm worried about my kids on the coast being held hostage by PG&E. I think 1969 could teach us a few things about going back to the future.
DeleteI used to own some PG&E stock but sold it many years ago. I understand the company's concern after the Paradise fire but this seems an outlandish response. Good luck to all of you in California.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Bruce. It's pretty obvious that PG&E has been over-extending their maintenance capacities for a long time (I seem to remember a protracted, burning, under-street gas leak in San Bruno some years ago. Is that where the trouble started? I'd look it up to back my bad memory, but lately such researches make me a little ill. Good thing you divested yourself of their stock.
DeleteThe whole situation was unbelievable to me. This is the US! This is California! This is 2019! I thought about the hardships for people and the economic costs, but most of all I thought about vulnerable people and how they would cope, especially the sick and the elderly. One or two days without power is doable, but six, seven, more becomes difficult for most, life threatening or deadly for others. Because I am behind, as ever, I know that the outages did not last as long as was predicted, and thank goodness for that. I hope that you, Norma, and your kids are okay. I understood that the Sacramento area was not going to have its power cut, so I was relieved by that. We take our modern life for granted, rarely stopping to think about how vulnerable we are, and how quickly things could devolve into anarchy if the services we rely on failed or were destroyed. Apocalyptic novels are fun to read, but I have no desire to experience anarchy or an apocalypse. Not that I'd last very long. I'll be more relieved when you post again! Take care!
ReplyDeleteDear Louise, I share your concern. When Gov. Gavin Newsom declared a few days ago that the outage is the product of greed (Pacific Greed& Electric?), power started returning and, by golly, nothing fell down. However, as I presently write after midnight about 10/16, Mammoth Lakes is still without power, as are North Fork, Oxnard down into L.A. Chula Vista's got power (protected by the spirit of Wolfman Jack), but if you want assurance of electric reliability you have to go to Tijuana. We got stuff going on right now so I haven't posted, but I will take care. You too, deal?
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