Second Round Of Power Shutoffs Leaves Businesses Scrambling
FORESTHILL (CBS13) — PG&E's latest round of power shutoffs for safety affected almost 50,000 people Wednesday.
It was day three without power for many communities in Butte, Nevada and Yuba counties, but as of Wednesday afternoon, some communities were slowly starting to get their lights back on.
PG&E has started the process of inspecting power lines and turning lights back on, but they have almost 3,000 miles to inspect. They warn that some may not get their power until Thursday.
Employees who host weddings at the Forest House Lodge in Foresthill were panicking early Wednesday when the lights were off. Luckily, the lights came back on in Foresthill around 3 p.m. Wednesday.
Mark Cook is the head chef for these wedding events. He was in the dark for hours Wednesday. There were no lights in the kitchen and he had no idea when they'd come back on.
READ: More PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoffs Begin Overnight, Affecting Approx. 48,200 Customers
"We have emergency lighting but the batteries have been on for so long now that the batteries have gone dead," Cook said.
Cook and his coworkers ordered a large generator in case the lights didn't come back on. He thought he might lose some of the food he prepared.
"Not happy about that. I'm sure a lot of people think they should be compensated for loss of business like this," Cook said.
PG&E said their decision to cut the power again is based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather. Some are questioning this.
CBS13 asked PG&E why the power is shut off in areas that aren't seeing any wind. A spokesperson said transmission lines span miles. Although one person may see no wind someone else serviced by the same line might.
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"If it's going to save us from a fire, then I'm all for it and in Foresthill, you plan for it," said Cynthia Queen.
Queen knows and drill and is happy she has gas-operated appliances.
"It's a little more expensive with gas, until now, now electric is going to be really ridiculous," Queen said.
Although she's prepared, she's not necessarily thrilled with these shutoffs.
"I think its a scare tactic. I think it's a scare tactic for whatever their reasons are I don't know," she said.