PSPS Update: East Bay Residents, Business Owners Frustrated By Latest Power Shutoff
CONTRA COSTA COUNTY (KPIX) -- WiFi hotspots and actual electricity were at a premium in Lafayette, Moraga and Orinda Monday as PG&E's latest round of public safety power shutoffs threw another wrench into 2020 life for residents.
Generators could be heard running all over the area and stoplights were merely decorative as everything became a four-way stop. Business owners, already hard hit by the pandemic had yet another pivot to make.
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"Everything is off. I can't operate my shop, the business. Both of my employees have gone home because I have no power. I can't service my customers," said auto shop manager Tanveer Ali.
Even a local hardware store -- which could have done brisk business selling generators to power-hungry customers -- had to shut down without any power.
At Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church, PG&E set up charging stations. Head Royce 7th grader Christian Woo was charging phones and a battery pack. He didn't have Zoom school Monday, but was coming up with a game plan for Tuesday.
"Tomorrow, I'll probably go over to a friend's house socially distanced with power and just do online schooling there," the teen told KPIX 5.
His dad, Philip, was impressed by his son's resilience.
"It's a lot of pain, but we'll get by. It's difficult times and we just try and manage whatever we can," he said.
Others were taking this latest shutdown in stride.
"This time it seems a little more organized, but still it's very inconvenient. I'm in acceptance mode right now. It is what it is," said Tammie Starwich.
While winds were far calmer than they had been Sunday night, this area of Contra Costa County was expected to be without power until at least Tuesday morning.