Yesterday, I had dinner with a couple of my friends who did not have power for 6 straight days since the Pasadena wind storm of December 1. We were lucky, our power was out for only 2 1/2 days and even that was very difficult. The nights were cold, food got spoiled and there was only so much we could do after 5:30 at night when it got dark. We were surprised that electricity was restored so quickly and are very thankful to all the hard working men and women who tirelessly worked around the clock to make it happen for us. Our friends were not as lucky.
My friends live in Altadena. I actually sold them their home in the unincorporated area a few years ago. Their biggest complaint was not the fact that it took so long to get the power restored, but that they were getting empty promises from the Southern California Edison folks. Every day, they’d call Edison and were told that the power will be on that day, in 6 hours, by evening, etc, etc, etc. Unfortunately, today, 7 days after the storm, there are still people without electricity.
Pasadena Sun – @pasadenasun
City says around 75 customers remain without electricity in Pasadena. #windstorm
As Pasadena Sun reports, there are still customers without power. Per Ann Erdman, Pasadena’s PIO, Pasadena Water and Power crews made significant progress over the past 24 hours, replacing damaged power poles and transformers and coordinating with Public Works Department crews and some private tree services to remove downed trees from power lines and restring the lines.
An ongoing canvass of neighborhoods has identified many properties that need replacement of wires from nearby power poles.
Ron Litzinger, Southern California Edison’s President published an open letter singing the company’s praises after a probe was launched into Edison’s power outage response. Crown City News – @crowncitynews
SoCal Edison Publishes Open Letter On Recent Power Outages – http://t.co/sU6eXjIC
The city of Pasadena is asking the home owners to report damage incurred so that the city can ask for Federal and State support:
The City of Pasadena’s storm-related costs are expected to be in the tens of millions of dollars. State and federal emergency management agencies could help mitigate storm-related costs to local governments, homeowners, and businesses, but only if they have accurate damage totals.
City and county officials are asking that homeowners and business owners report all their storm-related costs to the Los Angeles County Office of Emergency Management (OEM) so local governments can more accurately demonstrate the need for state and federal disaster aid.
OEM is tallying estimates countywide and will forward the information to the state.
To report storm-related damage by phone dial 2-1-1. Damage can also be reported online at www.211la.org.
City of Pasadena has created a web page that has a compilation of all windstorm activity. You can find it here – www.cityofpasadena.net/Windstorm_2011
The city of San Marino is trying to help their residents by calling Edison on their behalf to coordinate repairs. All San Marino residents without power are asked to call the City’s Emergency Hotline at 300-0745 or 300-0746 between the hours of 8:00 A.M. and 5:00 P.M. City Staff will likewise be calling all the residents who they have previously heard from that are without power to determine if their power has or has not been restored. Of course, residents are also encouraged to call Edison directly at 800-611-1911.
San Marino Police Department is also reporting that the Crowell Public Library and the San Marino Center are still without power and will remain closed. Lacy Park will be closed for the next two weeks due to the extensive damage that has occurred within the park.
Pasadena Sun – @pasadenasun
James grace – @jimytime
Crown City News – @crowncitynews
