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800k California residents get power cut off to ‘prevent wildfires’ – like a third-world country

October 10, 2019 | | Print Article

California, a left-leaning state that already faces homelessness and financial crises, is under fire from citizens after nearly a million customers had their electricity shut off.

“Classes were canceled. Frozen foods melted. Hospitals switched to emergency generators. Blooms withered in florists’ coolers. Unused food was jettisoned at shuttered restaurants. Lines formed at gas stations. Cellphones faded out,” the Los Angeles Times reported about the Wednesday outages.

(Screenshot from Fox10)

Some of California’s largest utility companies reportedly shut off power to avoid the wildfires that have plagued the state in the past.

“The reality is that we want to protect people. We want to make sure people are safe. This is what PG&E thinks is in the best interest of their customers and ultimately for this region and the state,” Governor Gavin Newsom said in defense of the power outages.

“It is a massive inconvenience,” the governor continued. “No one wants to see this happen. But it is a public safety issue.”

Utility company SoCal Edison warned that more outages could be coming. They warned citizens in several counties in Southern California that their electricity could be cut off as Santa Ana winds pick up power over the next week.

Because winds can pick up to 80mph and California is so dry, it can create dangerous fire conditions.

The 800,000 customers who already had their power cut off were in Northern California.

“The first power cutoffs, expected to affect 513,000 customers, began shortly after midnight in several counties around Sacramento, including Placer and Yuba, amid strengthening winds and continued to roll out into the early morning hours,” the L.A. Times reported.

“The blackouts will impact 34 counties in Central and Northern California. It would be the biggest power shutdown so far as utilities across the state attempt to reduce wildfire risk due to heavy wind. Utilities malfunctions have been tied to some of the state’s most destructive fires, including last year’s Camp fire, which devastated Paradise, Calif., and the 2017 wine country blazes,” their report continued.

With 800,000 customers losing service, around two million people were left without access to electricity.

“The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event,” Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of electric operations, explained in a statement. “We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public’s patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire.”

There is a question to the effect of the power outages though.

Scott McLean, spokesman for the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, told the L.A. Times that the state’s fire protection agency has not studied whether the power outages affect wildfires.

“We’re like everybody else — we adapt accordingly,” he said. “These power outages aren’t hampering our response capabilities. We’re making sure we have the power and logistical support we need to keep functioning.”

The power outages have not left people happy, and some see it as another sign of California echoing troubles faced by third-world, communist nations.

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Zachary Leeman
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