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More than a million people in California were without electricity Wednesday as the state’s largest utility pulled the plug to prevent a repeat of the past two years when windblown power lines sparked deadly wildfires that destroyed thousands of homes.
Downtown Grass Valley was dark on Wednesday amid a Public Safety Power Shut-off by PG&E.
Neighbors have dealt with shutoffs before, but say they’re frustrated. They’re wondering if this is the new normal.
“This is the first year we’ve had to do this,” Linda Cardona said.
She filled her bathtub with water not to bathe, but to use as a water supply to flush her toilet.
“Spare our water as much as we can,” she said.
Her home in the town of Rough and Ready runs on a well system. When the power is out, so is their water.
“I don’t know how long they’re going to put it off because they said it could be up to a week which would be really bad if it was,” she told FOX40.
The question on thousands of minds’ in Nevada County after PG&E shut off power early Wednesday morning is if this is going to keep happening.
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“I think it’s overkill. I understand the idea,” Nevada County resident Michael Honer said. “But is this going to happen every time we get some high winds? They’re just going to shut power down to everybody?”
Honer doesn’t have a generator.
“The local places raised the prices on their generators. I couldn’t see paying double the price,” he said.
He’s relying on ice chests to cool his food.
“Trying to save what I can for now. I’m just gonna basically be barbecuing. I have a barbecue with propane so I’m just going to eat everything I have out of my freezer,” Honer told FOX40.
At the same time, he braced for his likely busy night shift at the local hospital.
“My concern is for people that are on oxygen and other medical equipment that requires power and don’t have generators,” Honer said. What’s going to happen to them? They’re probably going to end up in the hospital.”
While people out here have dealt with shutoffs before, this will likely be the longest.
PG&E is telling people to be ready for five days or more.