Frustrated Pico-Robertson Residents Sound Off Amid Intermittent Power Outages As They Social Distance

PICO-ROBERSTON (CBSLA) — Power outages, sometimes lasting for hours, have residents in the Pico-Roberston area very upset.

After days of on-and-off power outages that they say have lasted more than 12 hours at a time, residents are sounding off.

"It looks like we live in a third world country," said David Bollag. "I'm more worried about our neighbors. You know, there's very old people and sick people."

"We have a neighbor down the street who is on a ventilator," said Marie Cohen, a resident. "It's scary. No heat. I have my husband who is not well. I have a dog that I have to medicate chemotherapy, so his medication is in the refrigerator."

The outages couldn't have happened at a worse time, as many are working from home due to the coronavirus pandemic.

"I've lost business with the impact of the coronavirus. And now, the impact of no electricity, no phone, it's awful," said Cohen, who explains that like many, she stocked up on groceries as the city of Los Angeles issued stay at home orders to slow the spread of COVID-19.

And now, Cohen says, much of that food has gone bad.

"We've went out and bought all this food with the money that we have left to buy for food, and all this food is gone," she said.

Bollag says the same.

"The food is gone. You know, I tell my kids not to open the fridge. He also says it is making it difficult for his kids to keep up with their work as they home-school.

"I had to write an essay that was due yesterday and all the power shut down. And in high school, teachers don't really take, 'Oh, my dog ate my homework, or my power went out.' That's not an excuse," said Madeline Bollag.

The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power says its crews are working to restore power to residents.