PG&E has been warning people for months, especially those with special medical needs, to "make plans" in case the power was shut off. And this is the third PSPS they've staged, so there shouldn't be any surprises. That said, there are a lot of older folks that are on fixed income, maybe have no family or caregiver, that don't have a generator and have no way to get one. All the stores are pretty much sold out, even if they had the money. I don't think we need to worry about cold weather for another month or two, and that's a blessing because just a couple weeks ago the temps were hear a hundred. Tomorrow or the next day, the news media will start covering horror stories of people dying in car accidents at intersections with no traffic lights, old people dying because they had no way to call for help, and all sorts of other predicaments that happened because the electricity was off.
Weather wise, at least locally in the windiest place around, the peak gust today was only 35MPH, far short of the 55-60MPH that was predicted. I looked at two weather models, one predicted accurately, the other was vastly exaggerated. I'm guessing that the utility went with worst case, and that's where the big numbers came from. Fuels moisture levels are very, very low though, so at least they got that part right. And as I've been saying all along, the amount of brush and grass on the ground is higher than I've ever seen it, so yes, if a fire does get started, they're gonna have a heck of a time putting it out. There's one down south near Mariposa that's been burning for a week, and it doubled in size to 2000 acres today with containment at only 10%. Our winds are supposed to move south tomorrow, so that could be a really bad scene for those folks. And yes, the power outages will spread with the wind.
I can't speak for anyone else, but my insurance settlement only covered a small fraction of my losses. Claims against the utility can also include pain and suffering and emotional distress, which as I understand it, can triple or quadruple the amount of the claim. Even if that's the case, the bankruptcy court has already placed an upper limit on the amount of the settlement fund, and those that file will likely only see pennies on the dollar if anything.
Honda generator has been running continuously since 2AM, and has burned only five gallons of gas. I spent too much time on the phone today, and I'll try to leave it off for more of the day tomorrow. With no power here, I'll have to go all the way to Chico to fill up my cans, and I'd like not to have to do that while the power is still out.
