# Massive California power outages may begin early Wednesday



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 8, 2019)

Massive California power outages may begin early Wednesday.


https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/10/08/us/pge-power-shutdown-california/


Richard


----------



## b2bailey (Oct 8, 2019)

MULTIZ321 said:


> Massive California power outages may begin early Wednesday.
> 
> 
> https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/10/08/us/pge-power-shutdown-california/
> ...


My daughter who lives in one of the named counties, has been telling me about it. She is a CPA and working on Tax exemption deadline of 10/15. 

I thought, oh it will be rolling blackouts. But no, a notice said it could be off for up to a week. Schools are closing. Insane.


----------



## VacationForever (Oct 8, 2019)

Many years ago my former CEO of a Fortune 50 company called California a third world country when California was implementing rolling black out.  He was contemplating pulling the IT headquarters out of California then. He has since retired and has a ranch in Montana.


----------



## SmithOp (Oct 8, 2019)

yeah California is a horrible place, stay away!


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## davidvel (Oct 8, 2019)

This is payback for the large settlement PG&E had to pay for its negligence in failing to keep its system safe. Basically, "If you want our system safe, it has to be shut down," instead of clearing vegetation and brush, installing appropriate circuit breakers and all sorts of other safety implementations that cost the company money. 

SDG&E did the same after the massive wildfires in San Diego. They were called to task for it and have implemented more limited shutdowns based on actual local conditions.


----------



## VacationForever (Oct 8, 2019)

$11 billion would have gone a long way to improving infrastructure instead of waiting until disaster struck and then having to pay victims and families.


----------



## CalGalTraveler (Oct 9, 2019)

We are on solar and will get shut down also because we feed into PG&E. If this persists, will buy a battery to go off grid because we send excess power to PG&E. Other than nat gas, we don't need PG&E electricity.


----------



## pedro47 (Oct 9, 2019)

The power outage is now been reported on all the major television networks this morning on the east coast.


----------



## geist1223 (Oct 9, 2019)

I wonder how many timeshares are going to lose their power? I doubt they have suffcient generators or solar power to stay open. How will they compensate the folks that had Reservations?


----------



## klpca (Oct 9, 2019)

Well, as inconvenient as it is, it sure beats the heck out of killing unsuspecting people. We dealt with two fires (2003, 2007) and I still get nervous during Santa Ana's. We also have solar and have looked into getting a battery so that we can more easily go off of the grid but haven't done it yet. Here's a photo from the 2003 fire, taken about 3pm from our back yard. It was the Cedar fire and 15 people lost their lives. If we can avoid something like this I am all for it.


----------



## klpca (Oct 9, 2019)

b2bailey said:


> My daughter who lives in one of the named counties, has been telling me about it. She is a CPA and working on Tax exemption deadline of 10/15.
> 
> I thought, oh it will be rolling blackouts. But no, a notice said it could be off for up to a week. Schools are closing. Insane.


I would expect that the IRS will extend the extensions for something like this. But what a PITA!


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 9, 2019)

Millions of Californians Face Power Outages in the Largest Preventive Blackout in State History.


https://time.com/5695835/california-wildfires-preventative-blackout/


Richard


----------



## Luanne (Oct 9, 2019)

geist1223 said:


> I wonder how many timeshares are going to lose their power? I doubt they have suffcient generators or solar power to stay open. How will they compensate the folks that had Reservations?


You know I'm more concerned with the people who live there full time, the businesses and places like hospitals.


----------



## geist1223 (Oct 9, 2019)

Luanne said:


> You know I'm more concerned with the people who live there full time, the businesses and places like hospitals.



To each their own.


----------



## Luanne (Oct 9, 2019)

geist1223 said:


> To each their own.


Well having friends and family who DO live in those areas impacted I am definitely more concerned about them than someone who might have their vacation plans upset.  So yeah, to each their own.  I go with the residents.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 10, 2019)

No traffic lights and days of darkness. Here's how life has changed inside Northern California's power shutoff.


https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/10/10/us/california-power-shutoff-qa/


Richard


----------



## VacationForever (Oct 10, 2019)

I feel badly for the residents in the affected area. I hope power is restored soon.


----------



## geist1223 (Oct 10, 2019)

I saw one News Report that said even after the Wind stops. It could take the Power Company several days to inspect all their lines, transformers, etc before turning on the power.


----------



## WVBaker (Oct 10, 2019)

"Last year's devastating Camp Fire that killed 85 people and destroyed thousands of structures was started by electrical lines owned by PG&E. The company filed for bankruptcy in January as it came under pressure from billions of dollars in claims tied to deadly wildfires."

"To avoid being blamed for another wildfire, some utilities have decided to cut power during high winds when the fire risk is elevated."

In other words, "To avoid being blamed for another wildfire", this should read, to avoid being *sued* for another wildfire".


----------



## Passepartout (Oct 10, 2019)

PG&E is pushing people to go solar (or make home generators a necessity) by this tactic. It's unconscionable to force customers of this monopoly to search other sources because they refused to update 100 year old technology.

Time for some legislated competition.

Jim


----------



## pedro47 (Oct 10, 2019)

I just wish it would rain or snow in Northern Calif.


----------



## Passepartout (Oct 10, 2019)

pedro47 said:


> I just wish it would rain or snow in Northern Calif.


Wishing won't end a drought. The West is getting drier while the East is flooding. Long time planning, like depending on river flows and dams to provide dependable electric power, and building housing and cities that crowd rivers and other watercourses will have to be re-thought.

Empty reservoirs and rivers don't make electricity, and after how many '100 year' floods do you decide you have to let nature put a river where SHE wants it.

Jim


----------



## SmithOp (Oct 10, 2019)

Passepartout said:


> PG&E is pushing people to go solar (or make home generators a necessity) by this tactic. It's unconscionable to force customers of this monopoly to search other sources because they refused to update 100 year old technology.
> 
> Time for some legislated competition.
> 
> Jim



Going solar does nothing to alleviate the problem of transmission lines touching in high winds and causing sparks/fires.  What new tech is available?  Do you expect them to bury miles of cable over rural hills and mountains?  New developments in CA are all underground utilities but power still has to travel from the power plant to get there, solar only feeds excess back into the grid.

I’m not trying to be an apologist for power companies but it seems a case of damned if they do or dont.  Expecting politicians to legislate a fix is a fools errand.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## Passepartout (Oct 10, 2019)

But going solar will keep your lights on and your food in the fridge/freezer from spoiling.


----------



## bogey21 (Oct 10, 2019)

I don't understand California.  It seems like they get hit with everything, Earthquakes, Mud Slides, Forest Fires, High Taxes, Large Number of Homeless, High Cost of Housing.  Despite all this there have to be reasons why California is the most populated state in the country by far.  Educate me...

George


----------



## klpca (Oct 10, 2019)

Passepartout said:


> But going solar will keep your lights on and your food in the fridge/freezer from spoiling.


You need solar and a storage battery (not cheap).


----------



## WVBaker (Oct 10, 2019)

Seems there are those that prefer a challenge.

https://www.zerohedge.com/news/2017-03-12/16-reasons-not-live-california


----------



## klpca (Oct 10, 2019)

bogey21 said:


> I don't understand California.  It seems like they get hit with everything, Earthquakes, Mud Slides, Forest Fires, High Taxes, Large Number of Homeless, High Cost of Housing.  Despite all this there have to be reasons why California is the most populated state in the country by far.  Educate me...
> 
> George


5th largest economy in the world. Jobs. Cutting edge technology. Plus for some of us, this is home where we were born and raised, and where our families live. It's not perfect, but then no place is. But I will say, our weather is pretty nice. Right now it's 80 degrees, with crystal blue skies (Southern Ca).


----------



## klpca (Oct 10, 2019)

Why do these threads turn into a critique of CA when you don't live here, and apparently some haven't even visited? I don't understand why people care so much about something that doesn't affect you and I wish that I understood the reason. Honestly. Anyway if this doesn't seem like a place where you would like to live, please don't because it really is kind of crowded in the urban areas.


----------



## klpca (Oct 10, 2019)

SmithOp said:


> Going solar does nothing to alleviate the problem of transmission lines touching in high winds and causing sparks/fires.  What new tech is available?  Do you expect them to bury miles of cable over rural hills and mountains?  New developments in CA are all underground utilities but power still has to travel from the power plant to get there, solar only feeds excess back into the grid.
> 
> I’m not trying to be an apologist for power companies but it seems a case of damned if they do or dont.  Expecting politicians to legislate a fix is a fools errand.
> 
> ...


Btw for the past 5 years or so, SDGE has been replacing wood towers with metal ones in our back country. There are things that the power companies can and should do to prevent fires. I also believe that they have installed equipment that measures wind and humidity to help prevent unnecessary shut downs.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 10, 2019)

Northern California Thrown Into Chaos By PG&E Blackouts.


https://www.forbes.com/sites/rachel...alifornia-thrown-into-chaos-by-pge-blackouts/.

Not sure if this us behind a paywall


Richard


----------



## 10spro (Oct 10, 2019)

I live in Napa, power went out Tuesday night, just coming back now on Thursday afternoon. Yes I lost some items in the refrigerator, but compared to the 2017 wildfire that destroyed so much, it's an inconvenience that we have to live with for now. Most resorts, restaurants and wineries were prepared and few were closed, got to keep tourism going, however, unfortunately, many locals who live here could not go to work and will not be paid for those days.


----------



## SmithOp (Oct 10, 2019)

klpca said:


> 5th largest economy in the world. Jobs. Cutting edge technology. Plus for some of us, this is home where we were born and raised, and where our families live. It's not perfect, but then no place is. But I will say, our weather is pretty nice. Right now it's 80 degrees, with crystal blue skies (Southern Ca).



Speaking of 5th largest economy, check out Rotten on Netflix, the avocado episode was fascinating.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## rhonda (Oct 11, 2019)

klpca said:


> I also believe that they have installed equipment that measures wind and humidity to help prevent unnecessary shut downs.


SDG&E's websites are now my favorite weather pages for local conditions.  Truly micro-climate level metering!

Overview:  https://sdgeweather.com
List of stations with current conditions:  https://weather.sdgeweather.com
Click on any station for more info and forecast for that specific location.  Fun and informative!


----------



## presley (Oct 11, 2019)

Without going into my life history, I'll say sorry, I hate SDG&E which is my power company. So, pretty much anything they do, pisses me off. I know people affected by this and how long it takes small businesses to recover from having to miss a couple days of business. It takes months.

Even though all of this sucks, everyone directly affected _that I have spoken to_, prefers this to having another major fire. At the end of the day, we are truly blessed to live in a place like this with our weather, conveniences, access to clean water/healthcare, beautiful scenery, the list goes on and on for things that we can be grateful for when living here. No matter what happens to me in California, I know that I am still considerably better off than 90% of the world's population and I'd rather think about that than how I have been inconvenienced in my very nice life.


----------



## rhonda (Oct 11, 2019)

@presley, the websites I mentioned are, likely, the _only_ thing I've ever liked from SDG&E.  I'm often quite frustrated and angry with them.  I was convinced, last year during a 5-day outage in (unexpected) calm weather, that I was gonna get _off_ their service as quickly as possible.  I'm still hunting for the right mix of solar+battery+management app.  Not quite there yet ...

Edited to add: Why can they not tell me via text or voice mail of an expected outage?  Instead, they use text and voice mail to tell me to _watch my snail mail_.  Ugh. They know their plan ... just tell me via the text message rather than referring me to paper mail that will likely reach me in days _following_ the outage. Grrr.


----------



## presley (Oct 11, 2019)

Totally bummed to say, a significant fire has broken out near Los Angeles overnight. I am so sad to see this. https://www.cbsnews.com/news/califo...-santa-ana-high-winds-evacuations-2019-10-11/


----------



## LisaH (Oct 11, 2019)

Our house was out of power when we woke up yesterday, the first day after returning home from our French Polynesian trip which was amazing. DH manually opened the garage door and parked my car on the drive way then went to work. Unfortunately I didn’t charge up my phone, portable chargers and laptop (ran out of juice on the airplane), so I went to a nearby Starbucks and hankered down there until 2 pm when power came back. It’s inconvenient but we manage. I’m OK if this indeed helps with minimizing wildfire. Our friends in East Bay were affected by a fast spreading wildfire and had to evacuate yesterday.


----------



## JudiZ (Oct 11, 2019)

klpca said:


> Why do these threads turn into a critique of CA when you don't live here, and apparently some haven't even visited? I don't understand why people care so much about something that doesn't affect you and I wish that I understood the reason. Honestly. Anyway if this doesn't seem like a place where you would like to live, please don't because it really is kind of crowded in the urban areas.



klpca, I am probably not as sensitive to it as you are, but I will be completely honest with you, I have been to California many times (always as a visitor of friends or tourist) and I love the place - north to south. I have no idea why people wonder why you live there; I think it's obvious. I don't want to live there, but it is all of the beautiful things you said. I live in NH where it snows, has freezing rain, mud season and black flies. Our family in North Carolina says, "why?" I say because there is more to any one place than weather. I love where I live. I love the people, the culture and the natural beauty of my state. We have a world class city an hour and a half away (Boston) with medical facilities recognized world wide, museums and theatre, restaurants and food markets on an urban scale.

We live in a beautiful and diverse nation and I, for one, embrace the differences. Makes it more fun to travel (no passport needed if you don't want) and allows us to all to live in the places we love (if we can and want to).

Judi


----------



## CalGalTraveler (Oct 11, 2019)

We live in the outskirts of a Bay Area suburb near the hills and the PG&E maps indicated that we had a high probability of blackout. Fortunately, though, our electricity was not disrupted. Most likely because we weren't hit with high winds.

I absolutely love our neighborhood, the weather, our home, and our suburban community. It's 70 degrees and sunny today (same as yesterday and the day before). Our family is in Calif.  What we don't like: Traffic, High property taxes, too many and complex government regulations for a small business like ours (glad I will be retiring in a few years). Although we have homeless ppl in our suburb, it's about the same number you would find anywhere else in the nation.

We have considered downsizing to Nevada when we retire to lower taxes, but so far we haven't found a community or consistent weather that compares. I keep pinching myself on how fortunate we are.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 22, 2019)

500k PG&E customers may lose power as San Jose revolts with buyout proposal.


https://www.foxbusiness.com/markets/pge-warns-second-planned-california-blackout.


Richard


----------



## CalGalTraveler (Oct 22, 2019)

This is very inconvenient but would rather have safety than the devastating fires and weeks of "nuclear winter" smoke from last year.

Ironically this may be the ultimate incentive to move people to install battery with solar and dump PG&E altogether.


----------



## pedro47 (Oct 22, 2019)

Maybe, California needs to invest in a wind tunnel system.


----------



## Luanne (Oct 22, 2019)

Our dd lives in Silicon Valley. So far they have not been personally impacted, but she was sharing horror stories of areas around them.  She said they have been told these power outages could go on for 10 years!


----------



## Ralph Sir Edward (Oct 22, 2019)

Most of California is a fire ecology. Always has been (at least for the last few million years). Like living in a flood plain, the question is not if, but when. . . .


----------



## SmithOp (Oct 22, 2019)

pedro47 said:


> Maybe, California needs to invest in a wind tunnel system.



Wind tunnel? lol you mean like everything east of us sucks so bad it creates an opportunity to drive turbine fans. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## WVBaker (Oct 22, 2019)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...off-northern-california-wildifres/2449314001/

"PG&E, however, defends the outages as crucial to the safety of its customers. The company already has filed for bankruptcy after being held liable for tens of billions of dollars in damages resulting from deadly wildfires blamed on downed power lines."

"The utility said authorities have determined more than half of PG&E’s 70,000-square-mile service area in Northern and Central California have a high fire threat, given dry grasses and the high volume of dead and dying trees. The state’s high-risk areas have tripled in size in seven years, the statement said."

"Southern California has not been spared the wildfire conditions, and firefighters have been conducting fierce battles in recent days to protect homes. Southern California Edison said it was monitoring conditions but had no immediate plans to cut power."

As one comment notes.
"... first they raise the price of gasoline so high people buy electric vehicles; then they shut the power off."


----------



## Ken555 (Oct 22, 2019)

This is a good overview of the problem itself. 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/2019/10/climate-change-california-power-outage/


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## pedro47 (Oct 22, 2019)

The majority of European cities are using some form of wind tunnels to provide electricity to their cities.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 24, 2019)

Californians hit with 2nd round of Sweeping blackouts.


https://apnews.com/ae4a51ba65154d9eb3926f35e9fd3114.


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 25, 2019)

California's third fire-safety power blackout could be the biggest one yet.


https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...fety-power-blackout-could-be-biggest-n1071746.


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 25, 2019)

A transmission line broke near where a massive fire
ignited in California, utility says.


https://www-m.cnn.com/2019/10/25/weather/california-fires-kincade-friday/


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 26, 2019)

California utility PG&E could cut power to 850,000 households over 'historic wind event' 


https://www.foxnews.com/us/pge-coul...r-48-hours-over-potential-historic-wind-event


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 26, 2019)

Northern California braces for ferocious winds and more power outages that may affect I million.


https://www.usatoday.com/story/news...fect-millions-northern-california/2468056001/


Richard


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 26, 2019)

PG&E will cut power to 940,000 as California wildfires rage: 'Most serious weather situation in recent memory'


https://www.cnbc.com/2019/10/26/pge...thern-california-to-reduce-wildfire-risk.html.


Richard


----------



## Icc5 (Oct 26, 2019)

Lived in California my entire life.  Only had to deal with a large earthquake once which caused some chimney damage and pulled my pool cover track up in areas.  Never been near a mud slide.  Don't like the forest fires and closest one to me stopped about 10 miles away.  Under prop 13 so pay less then $3,000 in property tax on our 3 million dollar home.  Way to many homeless but not sure how we compare with other states with our population and considering I'm in the heart of Silicon Valley I'm guessing it has to do with many that don't qualify for a job that pays $70,000-$200,000 or more a year.  Same reasoning for high property values which would come down if so many didn't want to live here with our great weather,short driving distance to the mountains or the ocean.
I also haven't had to deal with flooding,hurricanes,tornadoes, or weather that changes each hour.
Love visiting other states but have never found anywhere else I'd want to live.
Bart


----------



## Fredflintstone (Oct 27, 2019)

Icc5 said:


> Lived in California my entire life.  Only had to deal with a large earthquake once which caused some chimney damage and pulled my pool cover track up in areas.  Never been near a mud slide.  Don't like the forest fires and closest one to me stopped about 10 miles away.  Under prop 13 so pay less then $3,000 in property tax on our 3 million dollar home.  Way to many homeless but not sure how we compare with other states with our population and considering I'm in the heart of Silicon Valley I'm guessing it has to do with many that don't qualify for a job that pays $70,000-$200,000 or more a year.  Same reasoning for high property values which would come down if so many didn't want to live here with our great weather,short driving distance to the mountains or the ocean.
> I also haven't had to deal with flooding,hurricanes,tornadoes, or weather that changes each hour.
> Love visiting other states but have never found anywhere else I'd want to live.
> Bart



3 million dollars...wow...and that’s probably average price in your area. You could sell, retire to Phoenix with a bigger place for 10 percent of what your place is worth...but as you said, you are living the life there so $$$ don’t matter. 


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk


----------



## CalGalTraveler (Oct 27, 2019)

We live in the inland SF Bay Area. So far so good. We have not lost power during any of these blackouts to date. It was not windy here although we smelled smoke from Sonoma a few days ago.

Not like last year's "nuclear winter" with smoke from the Camp Fire where we didn't see the sun for days and had to wear masks outside.

The Bay Area has many different micro-climates. It can be 50 degrees, windy and foggy on the coast and 90 degrees and sunny 20 miles inland.


----------



## Luanne (Oct 27, 2019)

I was born and raised in southern California, moved to northern California in 1981 and lived there until we moved to New Mexico in 2012.  We never experienced any of the extreme conditions that are occurring now.  We moved out of state for various reasons, none were because we didn't love California.  Our older dd still lives there, in the Silicon Valley.  So far they have not been personally impacted by the outages, but she is thinking that could happen at any time.  One of my oldest friends lives in Grass Valley, which is in the Sierra foothills.  I just got a note from her.  They have had outages for up to 8 days and expect more. She and her husband are seriously considering moving out of California.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 27, 2019)

'You can't fight this': California wildfires force evacuation in Sonoma county.


https://amp.theguardian.com/us-news...ia-wildfires-latest-thousands-evacuations-pge.


Richard


----------



## klpca (Oct 27, 2019)

Luanne said:


> I was born and raised in southern California, moved to northern California in 1981 and lived there until we moved to New Mexico in 2012.  We never experienced any of the extreme conditions that are occurring now.  We moved out of state for various reasons, none were because we didn't love California.  Our older dd still lives there, in the Silicon Valley.  So far they have not been personally impacted by the outages, but she is thinking that could happen at any time.  One of my oldest friends lives in Grass Valley, which is in the Sierra foothills.  I just got a note from her.  They have had outages for up to 8 days and expect more. She and her husband are seriously considering moving out of California.


I have lived here my whole life and I was just thinking about it this morning. Something has drastically changed. The fires that we are seeing now are nothing like when I was younger. They were smaller and far less frequent. And more of a southern CA thing. Now they are frequently in NorCal and very large. It's ridiculous.


----------



## cyntravel (Oct 27, 2019)

Praying for your safety.


----------



## Luanne (Oct 28, 2019)

klpca said:


> I have lived here my whole life and I was just thinking about it this morning. Something has drastically changed. The fires that we are seeing now are nothing like when I was younger. They were smaller and far less frequent. And more of a southern CA thing. Now they are frequently in NorCal and very large. It's ridiculous.


And as I've mentioned before, my bff lost everything in the Paradise Camp Fire.  She relocated to Florida where her older dd and family live.  Had just gotten settled there when she was evacuated (again) for Hurricane Dorian.  Luckily she had no damage.


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Oct 28, 2019)

Thousands ordered to flee fast-moving Los Angeles wildfire.


https://m.investing.com/news/stock-...-flee-fastmoving-los-angeles-wildfire-2005601.


Richard


----------



## presley (Oct 28, 2019)

I'm really anxious to hear the reasons for all of these current fires. I know lots of times it's been a power line, but it also seems, at least here in southern California, that some deranged person decided to start one - oftentimes a firefighter.


----------



## SmithOp (Oct 28, 2019)

presley said:


> I'm really anxious to hear the reasons for all of these current fires. I know lots of times it's been a power line, but it also seems, at least here in southern California, that some deranged person decided to start one - oftentimes a firefighter.



Sounds likely in the case of the getty fire, looks like it started next to the 405 and winds blew it southwest over the hills.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk Pro


----------



## clifffaith (Oct 28, 2019)

My back, which was so cooperative two weeks ago in Carlsbad, came roaring back with pain levels that make me want to get from point A to point B with as few steps as possible. A migraine started during the night, and when the radio alarm went off with freeway closures due to fire we decided to put off our trip to Diàmond Resorts San Luis Bay in Avila beach. Figured no sense trying to get around the fires to go on vacation when people are trying to get to work, school (then they cancelled classes at UCLA) and evacuation centers. We may go up tomorrow (was a five day reservation), or dig the trove of super balls out and stay home for Halloween. I put the reser up for free on the Diamond US Facebook, but so far no takers.


----------



## Passepartout (Oct 28, 2019)

My heart goes out to those affected. Please listen to warnings and obey local authorities. They have your welfare at heart and are trying to minimize damage.

We'll be bracing for an influx of new residents, but hey, the wind blows and we have fires here too.

Take care!

Jim


----------



## MULTIZ321 (Dec 7, 2019)

PG&E agrees to pay California wildfire victims $13.5 billion in damages.


https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-new...fornia-wildfire-victims-13-5-billion-n1097556.


Richard


----------

