Posted on 12/07/2011 8:05:37 AM PST by americanophile
Of the 6,100 Edison customers in the San Gabriel Valley still without power after last week's windstorm, few suffered like 40-year-old Tim Cutress of Altadena.
When the power came back on Sunday, Cutress celebrated along with his wife, 4-year-old son and elderly mother visiting from New Zealand. After four days of darkness, the family eagerly cleaned out their stinky refrigerator, heated up the home and bought $400 worth of groceries to replace the food that had spoiled.
"Everybody rejoices," Cutress said. But then at 1 p.m. Monday, the power went out again. And more than 24 hours later, as the chilly darkness fell on Tuesday night, there was still no sign when the electricity would come back on.
The worst part of it, Cutress said, was that Edison kept signaling that the power was on the verge of coming back on. Every day he would use his iPhone — charged by his car engine — to check the utility's website. And each day it said the lights were expected to come on in the morning or later that day.
The other maddening part, he said, is how he hasn't been able to get answers from any senior Edison official.
(Excerpt) Read more at latimes.com ...
Maybe most of the rage should be directed toward so-called environmentalists who want to send us back to the stone age.
These stories make me recount the ice storm of December 2008. We were without power for eight days, no generator (since solved) during a time when the temps never got above 20 degrees. I went through almost 2 cords of wood that week.
These people are whiners.
Slightly off topic, but...
I fully expect that if the Obama administration is allowed to continue to EPA the power companies into the bankruptcy for making “evil carbon dioxide,” that power outages and brownouts will become a regular occurrence.
We need to be self sufficient. Time is running out. The evil overlords in Washington only care about themselves.
Buy a (quiet) generator and fuel while you can. I suggest a kerosene powered generator. Kerosene stores safely for long periods of time. It behaves well at room temperature. Normal human beings can handle it with little worry of being blown up. Kerosene has a low vapor pressure in comparison to gasoline.
All the rage should be directed at the "environmentalists" (communists) that caused the problem.
Edison is among them as well as the PUC and the California State Government, Cal EPA, and the EPA.
It would be nice to see them mentioned in the MSM and nicer to see them prosecuted, but then I wouldn't want any FReepers to die laughing, so don't read this last sentence.
I tend to lump such people among the Occupy crowd. They have had many power outages in the past. They know they will be without electricity again and again. So, did they prepare by buying a generator for such times? No. They’d rather whine and place blame elsewhere. They lost $400 worth of groceries this time. Three such outages over three years and they’d be out the cost of a brand new 6000 W generator which would run their entire house with a few sacrifices such as using only one stove burner at a time. These people are Obama voters.
Get used to it, California. Green power is in between power, in between periods of no power, that is. Solar ware to save polar bares and wind mills in the hills will fix it straight away.
Jerry says he doesn’t know what you’re complaining about, he’s never had a problem with outages.
“Maybe most of the rage should be directed toward so-called environmentalists who want to send us back to the stone age.”
Most of that rage comes from “so-called environmentalists who want to send us back to the stone age.”
They are not an intelligent group.
We lived in an area that experienced ice storms and power outages every winter.
I filled our old, oversized freezer half full with bags of ice to save energy.
The next ice storm was massive. Power was out for over a week. All our food was saved because of our oversized ice chest.
We left the area, and greatly downsized after our kids left, but I continue the same practice of keeping lots of ice, just in case.
For the same reason, we have a woodstove and gas cooking stove.
The days are upon us when we all have to be as prepared as possible to take care of ourselves. We knew a physician who did not know a gas stove burner could be lit with a match...simple things.
...a trove of documents uncovered by Congressional investigators reveals that ... the EPA is undermining the security and reliability of the U.S. electric power supply.Utilities across the country with coal being a large fraction of their energy mix are planning load curtailments and rationing. EPA is turning us into a third-world hell-hole with unreliable electricity.For the first time in U.S. history, net coal capacity is in decline. On top of the 38 gigawatts of generation that is already being run below normal levels or slated for early retirement, NERC predicts another 36 to 59 gigawatts will come offline by 2018, depending on the "scope and timing" of EPA demands. That could mean nearly a quarter of all coal-fired capacity.
EPA estimates that the benefits to society from the mercury reductions in the utility rule max out at $6.1 million, total, while imposing $11 billion in compliance costs annually.
Why does no one like me?
Because I am cooler!
Ooof, no fun, and yes, they are.
I did my generator exercise a month ago. I only drag it out quarterly.
I would suggest this family run out and buy the biggest and ugliest windwill they can find and place it in their front yard.
I bought a used (for only one day) 5k watt generator for $350, and stumbled upon this site http://www.propane-generators.com/ where I can convert my generator to LP gas, which my home has, and tap into a gas line with a flexible hose and run the generator from the large tank behind the house, releasing me from the trouble of chasing after gasoline every few days to keep the generator happy at a rate of approx. 5ga per 8 hours run time. Plus, there is no rule that says you can have only one generator!
People should prepare, not wait for the utility companies or gov to fix things. The cost of one refridgerator or freezer of food saved would counter the expenses incurred.
They’re not actually. They’re a half million people in one of the largest metropolitan areas in the country. No one anticipated widespread wind-caused power outages for more than a week in the shadow of America’s largest city. That it has taught everyone a valuable lesson about preparation and self-sufficiency is good, but it’s unheard of.
*err, 2nd largest city.
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