Most of us felt powerless when SCE preemptively turned off our power in anticipation of Santa Ana winds which unfortunately materialized right on schedule: Thanksgiving Day. Restaurants from one end of Malibu to the other shut their doors, not only losing holiday customers for the day but also perishable food.
Those who planned to cook at home woke up Thanksgiving Day to find our electric ovens and refrigerators were not working. Family members who came here from afar and anticipated a home cooked feast joined the rest of us in looking for any place where we could eat. And painstakingly prepared perishables were discarded, not eaten.
We may never know whether SCE even considered that the power shutoff would ruin the holiday for most of us, and we can certainly debate whether the shutoff was the best way to lower the risk of another fire. What we do know is that SCE’s communications could have been a bit more sensitive. Their handing out “goodies” to people at Bluffs Park after dark was a striking case in point.
The sheriff’s department also seemed missing in action. Law enforcement personnel were absent from virtually all major intersections on the PCH and reflective stop signs were almost nowhere to be found.
We can all agree on one thing: that this past Thanksgiving was unforgettable.
Burt Ross