Losing power for a few hours is one thing. But people living in the Lebec area say it's more than a little inconvenient when the lights go out repeatedly for extended periods in hot or cold weather.
When Pacific Gas and Electric Co. has pulled the plug lately because of wildfire conditions, 70-year-old O'Neil Canyon resident Joan Siebers can't use her oven. The wood stove she and her husband refill all night helps replace central heating, but it doesn't warm their bedroom almost at all.
"It's just frustrating," she said after PG&E turned off the lights again at 1 a.m. Friday. It came back on again about 16 hours later. "It's just very — I mean, this is the third time in two weeks we've been without power for an extended period of time."
She and neighbors of hers are losing patience with recent Public Safety Power Shutoffs designed to protect them from the threat of wildfire. Despite advance notice and the availability of different resources, they say the system isn't working well for them.
An added frustration for some is the disparity between their experience with shutoffs and that of neighbors in Frazier Park, where shut-off events have occurred less frequently.
Utilities say they're doing all they can to cushion the impacts of the shut-offs. They say with vegetation so dry lately, decisions about when and where to cut the power depend almost entirely on weather conditions beyond their control.
After PG&E's experiences with its equipment suspected of starting wildfires, and the resulting legal liabilities, it's going to be safety first.
"At PG&E we have made a stance that catastrophic wildfires shall stop," utility spokeswoman Katie Allen said by email. "We will not take any chances with customer safety and (last week's shut-off) is a last-resort tool in helping us to keep the communities we are privileged to serve safe and reduce the risk of wildfires."
She wrote that the company understands being without power is difficult, especially for customers in areas experiencing multiple outages. The company is doing what it can to reduce the impact of shut-offs, she asserted, sharing timely information about the weather and its equipment while continuing to protect communities.
Some in Lebec say it's not enough.
Resident Larry Skiba said he and many of his neighbors are on fixed incomes and unable to prepare as well as they might with generators and other helpful investments.
Calls to local elected representatives have gone nowhere, he said. Meanwhile, the assistance PG&E hands out at the Lebec Post Office, where a community resource center has been set up, does not go nearly far enough.
"They hand you a bag of ice and maybe a blanket," he said. (PG&E said it offers other resources there including snacks, water, Wi-Fi, device-charging capabilities and washrooms.)
OXYGEN SCARE
His 73-year-old neighbor Linda Vawser has a particularly hard time during shut-offs because she relies on 6 liters of oxygen per day. She's been able to use the oxygen bottles she has stored but it's been nerve-wracking.
"It's kind of scary to think (what happens) if you can't get your oxygen," she said.
Last summer, the power would go out and her air conditioner would be down for a day or more amid temperatures topping 90 degrees.
"Get a breeze once in a while and look for a shady spot," Vawser said. She added that during more recent cold weather, the challenge has become cooking and keeping food from spoiling.
Lebec resident Cheryl Ausherma has similar trouble keeping her CPAP sleep apnea equipment running. There's a generator outside she can use but she hesitates to keep it running all night bothering her neighbors, she said, adding, "It's such an inconvenience and it's so stressful."
NO COMPARISON
Allen at PG&E was unable to say how many times the utility has had to call a shut-off event in the Lebec area in the past year, or how long those outages lasted.
Southern California Edison, which serves neighboring Frazier Park, also was unprepared to say how many times it had cut power to that community during the past year.
At any rate, SCE spokesman Ron Gales said it would be inappropriate to compare neighboring communities' incidence of shut-off events because of specific conditions impacting circuit segments.
"Recognize it's about circuits, not cities," he said. He noted the most important factors determining the timing of wildfire-related shut-offs are wind speed, relative humidity and abundance of dry fuel.
Lebec residents say Friday's power outage was the shortest in recent weeks, and that one early last week continued for more than a day.
PG&E announced Wednesday afternoon it was monitoring a dry offshore wind event that, in combination with critically dry vegetation, could force it to shut off power as soon as Thursday morning to about 16,000 customers in targeted portions of 12 California counties. It said up to 655 customers in Kern could be affected.
Early Friday morning, it cut power to 666 customers in Kern. Power was restored to all but 5 percent of them Friday afternoon, just as soon as its crews could patrol and check for damage along de-energized power lines. Customers were told there was a chance of another shutoff around midnight potentially affecting 670 customers, and that the utility would notify them as soon as possible ahead of time by text, email and automated phone calls.
PG&E recommends customers take steps to prepare themselves for shut-off events, including by stocking up on medicine and other supplies. It also reminds people to check on their elderly family members.
Allen referred people to resources the company makes available online, including a safety action center (safetyactioncenter.pge.com) with preparation tips and links to a variety of resources.
"Shut" - Google News
October 17, 2021 at 08:00AM
https://ift.tt/2YPwbu9
Frequency of power shut-offs frustrates mountain residents - The Bakersfield Californian
"Shut" - Google News
https://ift.tt/3d35Me0
https://ift.tt/2WkO13c
Bagikan Berita Ini
0 Response to "Frequency of power shut-offs frustrates mountain residents - The Bakersfield Californian"
Post a Comment