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Power Is Out

October 10th, 2019 at 05:38 pm

My area is experiencing a planned power outage. The power went out early Wednesday morning between midnight and 4am. The utility company, PG&E, said to plan on no power for up to 7 days.

As you know, I work for the county in a clerical position. While some county buildings are equipped with generators, mine is not.

My office was told to report for work Wednesday morning as usual and await further instructions. So I did, sat in the dark twiddling my thumbs for 40 minutes along with my co-workers, at which time we were instructed to leave and report back this morning at 8am.

I drove the 23 miles home and enjoyed a pleasant day with SB and Bella. (We have a small generator, fresh water in the tank, propane, and battery backup. Not everything works when there is no power, and of course we have to conserve since what we have has to last, but we manage fine).

This morning I got ready for work, drove 23 miles to get there, and by 8:05 was told to go home and come back tomorrow at 8am. So, now I am home again. I am pleasantly surprised to have a bar on my phone, so this entry is what you get.

Some people around here are very angry about this power shut-off. But I feel it is to be expected. If PG&E is going to be held financially responsible for fires starting from downed power lines during windy weather conditions, what choice do they have? Of course they are going to turn off power when high winds are expected. And if that's safer, then I am all for it. A little inconvenience is nothing compared to the loss of life and property suffered by people in the town of Paradise.

I am being paid for these days without using any of my accrued vacation or comp time.

Tomorrow, SB will take the little travel trailer down to my mom's house in the central valley, where power is not currently disrupted. We will spend the weekend there.

Posted in Uncategorized | 4 Comments »

4 Responses to “Power Is Out”

  1. Treeluva Says:
    October 10th, 2019 at 08:27 pm 1570739260
    1570739260

    It is crazy to think that in an industrialized nation, there is an area where there is no access to electricity (for whatever reason - absent a natural disaster).

    Are they fixing the actual problem or just turning the electricity off whenever they expect winds?

  2. Turtle Lover Says:
    October 11th, 2019 at 01:21 pm 1570800106
    1570800106

    I also live in the bay area but my particular area has power and we do not expect to have our power shut off. ... but I agree with you about PG&E doing what they need to do. There are several areas around me that have no power and I know somebody who lost their home in Paradise. Happy to hear that you have a generator and are able to get by in this situation. I wouldn't be handling it as well (just wouldn't be angry about it) Glad you are able to post.

  3. rob62521 Says:
    October 11th, 2019 at 07:36 pm 1570822614
    1570822614

    Wow, I didn't realize this was happening. Glad you have a generator and that you can find someplace else to spend the weekend. Also glad you are getting paid and not having to use vacation days.

  4. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    October 12th, 2019 at 01:35 am 1570844101
    1570844101

    My aunt lives in the San Jose area - she's installed solar panels on her roof (and onmy grandmas house near LA) in anticipation of these planned outages. It is pretty bizzarre in a first-world country ... yet it is better than fires like the one that destroyed Paradise.

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