strawberrymomhat:

meion:

hundondestiny:

girlfriendluvr:

this california power outage shit is literally going to kill people.

the company only gave a 12 HOUR warning.

things powered by electricity:

• life saving medical equipment
• fridges and freezers which keep food from spoiling. this would be much less of a big deal if people were given a week or so’s warning, but they were given 12 HOURS.
• many devices used for preparing food (ex microwaves and electric stoves)
• phones, computers, televisions, and radios, aka everything that allows people to get news quickly, in an area extremely prone to wildfires and other natural disasters.
• phones also serve as communication devices for both loved ones and emergency services. if your phone runs out of charge during these 5 days and you need to call 911 because you’re having a heart attack or got in a car crash? you can’t.
• all lights… which is going to force people to use candles for light at night… in an area where fire is extremely susceptible to spreading… and all devices that can be used to contact emergency services are depowered…
• cooling and heating systems (luckily california tends to be pretty stable temperature-wise this time of year)
• electric wheelchairs and other electric disability aids
• i feel like i should re-iterate life saving medical equipment

this INTENTIONAL outage is affecting over half a million california residents, and not everyone has the money to just go get a generator, or go stay in a hotel out-of-state for a week, especially on such short notice. this is evil.

wait what

Here is a schedule of outage times by area

Coverage maps for affected counties

PG&E also has PDFs of (planned) coverage maps, and an interactive map but it seems to be down right now :I

Okay uhh,, hey California resident here! So the point of the outages is that we are about to get a really big wind. We call them the Santa Ana’s and they happen every year in the fall and spring. This particular week, we got news that the wind could be worse than any in recent history. I agree that the outages notification period is much too short and absolutely dangerous to people in need of electricity. I’m not saying I agree wholeheartedly with it but please PLEASE understand the context. The outages are being placed so that the entire state doesn’t catch fire tomorrow. Last years fire season was devastating, so I can honestly understand the decision to cut power, as downed lines are often catalysts for major wildfires. Okay thats all I’m gonna say, I just wanted people to know why this is happening. It’s not for no reason.