The electrical energy crisis, up to now just a headline, may finally be coming to Malibu in the form of rolling power blackouts.
Representatives from Southern California Edison, Malibu’s electric provider, said blackouts will happen unless things change drastically and quickly because there may come a time when there will not be enough power to cover the demand. Therefore, Edison will have no choice but to shut down part of the system.
“We will curtail power for about an hour at a time per location,” said Mark Olson, Edison’s regional manager for west side cities.
Edison has already established a sequence of sections for the rolling blackouts, said Olson, “but local Edison representatives may not know what section will be blacked out ahead of time.”
“We wouldn’t know until the day of,” he said. However, when Edison is made aware of the locations, they will share that information with the city, “if at all possible.”
“The outages that we are talking about would not be different from those when a car hits a pole. They would be outages for a measured period of time,” said Olson.
Rick Morgan, city engineer, said, “Certainly, it has potential disaster implications if we go through prolonged power loss.”
Possible problems caused by outages are traffic stoppages on Pacific Coast Highway and delayed emergency response. The city has made arrangements with the Lost Hills Sheriff’s Department to man extra intersections, said Hap Holmwood, Malibu Emergency Services coordinator. Intersections like Las Flores Canyon, Webb Way and John Tyler are considered critical, he said.
Meanwhile, Holmwood is working with various agencies and attending meetings conducted to address any life-threatening emergencies that may occur if electricity to Malibu is cut off.
“My biggest concern is for the senior citizens and handicapped people who rely on electrical systems for life support,” said Holmwood. “We need to know who they are and where they are and what needs they have, so we can alert their neighbors to assist them.”
City Councilmember Sharon Barovsky, whose husband Harry Barovsky died last year, knows the importance of having a continuous electric supply first-hand.
“My husband’s life depended on being able to have access to an oxygen converter,” she said. “So my greatest concern is for those who have medical conditions that rely on an adequate, constant energy supply.”
“Even if we were not facing the possibility of an energy crisis, I would recommend anyone with a medical condition have a small generator that would supply energy in an emergency,” said Barovsky.
Uninterrupted Power Supply units (UPS) can be used to provide continuous power when outages occur. These devices act like buffers between regular electric supply and generator power supply but they are not easy or cheap to install.
Despite the threat of rolling blackouts, Malibuites have apparently not purchased extra power generators to keep their homes lit. Employees at A & B Hardware and Plumbing, and Malibu Lumber Company said they have not sold extra generators recently.
“The real crunch was at last new year’s when, [the now unfounded], threats of a Y2K disruption existed,” said Patrick Walsh, assistant manager at Malibu Lumber.
Blackouts may also impact the operation of local businesses.
The increased cost of electricity will cause problems for local, small businesses and it will inevitably carry on to customers, “which is not fair,” said Lupe Baraivia, manager at A & B Hardware. “The big business can handle it, but it’s killing smaller businesses,” he said.
“It’s going to have a significant impact on our business because our sales and checkout procedures are computer scanned,” said Walsh, about potential blackouts.
Some larger, local stores, however, are not as concerned yet. Art Postajian, manager at Ralph’s supermarket on Malibu Road, said in case of a blackout, the store will not have to close down completely.
“We can control our lighting in the store so that we reduce it in half,” he said. The store also has a generator that allows it to function during power outages.
As for the cost of power, it is in the thousands monthly already because refrigeration takes up a great deal of energy. Keeping the store lit is a large endeavor in itself and certain departments like deli and meats take up a lot of power as well.
“It’s almost like a living being,” said Postajian.
The higher cost of power is not expected to have a direct impact on customers in larger stores for the moment.
“If the cost goes up chain wide, the cost increase on merchandise would be minimal,” said the manager.
What to do in case of a power outage
- Most power companies and cities want people who depend upon electric-driven health equipment to register with them ahead of time. They also advise that you have a backup generator to provide continuity in power supply for life-support devices.
- Phones with various gadgets, and cordless phones will not work in a power outage. Make sure you have at least one phone with a cord that you can plug into a phone jack to call for help.
- Keep food that does not spoil stored away, as you would for earthquakes and other natural disaster preparedness, since refrigerators and most stoves depend on electricity to function.
- To preserve cold and frozen foods, keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed and fully stocked. A fully-stocked freezer will stay cold for up to two days without power.
- Be prepared with plenty of warm clothes and blankets.
- Know where your flashlights are and be sure that they are functional with plenty of batteries on hand.
- For the computer savvy, surge protectors are a must.
- Turn switches off. This will help safeguard electrical equipment from power surges when electricity is restored and help the power company get its systems back online with fewer glitches.
- Practical conservation tips can also be found on the edisonathome.com or sce.com Web sites.