Power being shut down for SIX days...

rachylou

Veteran

Possibly six anyways. But it’s definitely being shut down because of high fire danger.

Bought a solar charger for my phone. Probably no cell or WiFi, but need my phone because it’s my glucometer....

So anyways... apparently will be gone another week camping, me and Lilypup...

4 years ago

Off Topic

49 replies

Latest reply was from Joyce B

Barbara Diane

Veteran

Sorry.
So far we appear to be in the clear, but will think twice about where we go.
Do you know if stoplights will still work?

4 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

People on Nextdoor in my area are panicking and upset. Rumors being exchanged, protests planned, anger. I decided not to read further. Forecast for our area is light wind, moderate weather. Southeast San Jose.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

That’s a good question about stoplights. I’d presume they won’t be working. There are no stoplights where I live personally.

Where I live, we know it’s a high fire danger zone. Many of the streets are impassable for fire trucks, so a little fire can easily become big. We did citywide drills earlier this summer and my neighborhood beat the pants off everyone because it’s very real for us: so we practiced. Fire is not worth keeping the power on here.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Hmm just looking online. Trains and a major freeway (the 24) to be shutdown. May have power until noon tomorrow. That would be nice.

4 years ago

Ginkgo

Veteran

Our power will probably be off in Los Altos Hills area so we are charging phones and cars right now. My engineer husband has backup systems and will have the refrigerator and cooktop working. For entertainment we'll hike the hike the local trails or I can always cut more brush.

4 years ago

kellygirl

Veteran

Yes, south bay area is expecting to lose power. My office should be fine which is where I spend most of my time these days anyway. DD is at school up in the north bay and they are cancelling classes for the rest of the week. Picking her up from school tonight. Hoping I have power at home until I get to work. It's so bizarre how silicon valley can have these kinds of problems. For us it's an inconvenience but for some people with health problems it's much worse. Just going to have to grin and bear it. Maybe Oreo and I will camp at work...

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Have y’all got solar, Ginkgo? Would like to do that, but have a tar and gravel roof which is not very old. So solar has to wait.

I haven’t heard of any times for the South Bay... it was midnight for the North Bay up to the Oregon border and noon tomorrow for the East Bay to the Sierras (!)

CalTrans found generators for the tunnels so the freeways will stay open after all... it seems like a small thing to be without power for a few days, but it’s true - it’s life or death for folks with powered medical equipment. The logistics are huge...

I *am* taking my Go Bag to work because it isn’t just the power shutdown but a fire warning too for my area. My mum would be evacuating Lilypup; I don’t think she could do my Go Bag too, since it’s a giant thing full of medical supplies.

4 years ago

annagybe

(website)

Veteran

Yikes. And I thought things were rough in Mongolia

4 years ago

Inge

(website)

Moderator

Oh no, please take care Rachy (and anyone else in the area), and let us know how you are as soon as you can.

4 years ago

Aquamarine

Veteran

This is unbelievable. Honestly, I just skimmed the headlines this morning and thought it would be sporadic shutdowns. I’m on the opposite coast but DS’s girlfriend is from that area and tells stories of returning home for visits and having to wear a mask outside during some of the fires. I can’t imagine what you are all going through.

4 years ago

Jane

Veteran

Wishing you well in these unsettled days ahead. It sounds horrid and alarming. Good on your neighbourhood for getting sorted on evacuations earlier this year. Good to know you are in an organised group. Keep safe, and Lilypup and family.

4 years ago

RobinF

Veteran

I heard that on the radio this morning - such a pain but if it helps decrease the fire risk maybe worth it? Recenlty we were out of power for three days because of a storm and it was not fun.

4 years ago

taylor

Veteran

Oh no Rachy!

You And Lilypup take good care !

4 years ago

JAileen

Veteran

My brother is in one of the power shut off areas. It’s very wooded where he lives, and I’ve always wondered how fire trucks could even get over the small (rickety) bridge. Best of luck to you, Rachy.

4 years ago

Bonnie

Veteran

The news is really frightening and I am hoping that all goes well for you. Your camping experience will be very useful right now. My area has not yet been shut down.

4 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

We have power at least until noon today, Wednesday. I kind of doubt we will lose it at our end of Silicon Valley, despite nearby hills. There isn't a breath of a breeze here so far.

Just so I am able to get my haircut (today at 11) before it goes off.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Thanks all!

South of the bay looks undecided as yet, but I did see Santa Clara county listed under the noon shutoff so I’m not sure how that is working...

There will be power at work, so at least I can read YLF! Lol

4 years ago

Anonymous

That's really scary. Be safe on your camping trip. I hope they're fixing the faulty power lines that are the cause of the shutdown so you won't have to go through this whenever the wind kicks up. Will your mom and her friends be staying in place?

I'd probably stay home with my garden hose firmly in hand. I'm really scared of fire!

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Thx, Xtabay. Lol, I meant I was gonna be camping out at home. Haha!

I’ve done work in the energy industry. It’s not really a faulty power line situation. It’s a humongous-mass-of-human-civilisation-in-a-fire-ecology situation. It feels like electricity is a given, but it’s really a tremendously arduous undertaking to implement and sustain. One asks why they didn’t just update the equipment, but then at the same time is freaked out just by the notion of smart meters - and I admit they worry me a bit too, even as I, ironically, post about it from my cell phone.

And... I have to admit I kinda enjoy thinking about these things. I am having a certain amount of fun...

4 years ago

Angie

(website)

Fashion Stylist

That's rough! Take care and hang in there. Glad you and Pup are having fun...

4 years ago

Joy

Veteran

Enjoy the simple life. I remember no electricity in some places like our next door neighbor growing up. He got regular deliveries from the ice man for his ice box refrigerator. Then there were the kerosene lanterns and water pumps and wood or corn cob burning stoves for heat and cooking.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Actually, so do I, Joy. When I was little, the power always went out during storms. It was the way things were. But also, my dad was from a third world country. Plenty relations living without electricity, running water or glass in the windows. My grandpa had a hardware store. I remember the clothes irons that you’d fill with hot coals, lol. Used coconut husks for scrub brushes, lol.

Oh yeah, 12:22 and still got power!

4 years ago

Anonymous

Oh, duh, I should've known you meant camping out at home! You are the leader of the elderly lady evacuation squad, after all.

On one hand, dining by candlelight sounds pretty nice (if open flames are permitted), but trying to put makeup on or even get dressed in the dark sounds not so good. Keep us posted, Fire Ranger Rachylou!

4 years ago

Janet

(website)

Veteran

Dang! A friend of mine on FB was posting about this too. Hang in there and I hope it all gets resolved soon.

4 years ago

deb

Veteran

I remember in tie 80's and 90's the lack of power because of the grid overloads. Power would be out for days. The kids loved it.

4 years ago

MsMaven

Veteran

I remember power outages as well.

It's 8:15 and our area was supposed to lose power around 8 pm. Suppose it's still possible, but there is barely a breeze out there.

I've lived in California since I married and moved here in 1965. Lived through much worse than this. So far.

I do feel for the folks in Sonoma and the North Bay. The fires 2 years ago burned a semi-circle around my sister's home in Mendocino County. They had to evacuate with 3 dogs for several days. We will get through this.

4 years ago

kellygirl

Veteran

I'm south of Susan and we still have power. It's still as can be outside right now. They said we can expect the power to go off between 10-midnight for up to a week. I showered at the gym tonight--maybe for the next week too. Stay safe everyone!

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Haha! Yes still here! Time bumped back until 10 and they’re promising to restore power by noon tomorrow! Fire danger still high in my area tho.

4 years ago

rachylou

Veteran

Well, the streets around us have had their power turned off and there’s a nice young policeman standing on the corner patrolling, but we have our lights... and I have just remembered my street paid privately to have our wires undergrounded... Lol. All that excitement... we may get to keep our power... lol...

4 years ago

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