Wind advisory forcing Southern California Edison to shut down power in Moorpark, Simi Valley
With an extreme wind advisory in effect for parts of the Southland, Southern California Edison is not taking any chances with the threat of potential wildfires. CBSLA's Jeff Nguyen reports from Moorpark.
The company has shut down power for almost 2,000 customers in Ventura County, as strong Santa Ana winds pose a serious threat of wildfires.
As a result, residents are forced to spend Thanksgiving elsewhere or turn to other power alternatives, such as generators.
At William Paduano's home in Moorpark the generator is connected to his refrigerator this Thanksgiving.
"You gotta keep the food from spoiling," Paduano told.
The strong Santa Ana winds ultimately led to a public safety power shutoff by Southern California Edison. The goal is to lower the risk of a wildfire caused by downed power lines.
"It's a difficult decision to make. We never want to turn the power off," Ben Gallagher of So. Cal Edison said.
But residents like Christy Towry told CBSLA Reporter Jeff Nguyen that the power shutoff is extremely frustrating with her electricity bill being more expensive than before.
The shutoff forced Towry to cancel a luncheon she had planned with her friends.
"It's just a matter of getting our circuits and our grids upgraded. Right? I mean our rates go up, why are they not using the money for that?," Towry said.
The power shutoff has forced residents to fill up their propane tanks at gas stations.
But propane won't allow Paduano and his family to hos Thanksgiving dinner at his home. Instead, the meal prep is being doing at four homes before they all sit down in Newbury Park – at a house where there is power.
"This sacrifice. Even though it's really terrible for Thanksgiving. I still don't want to have a fire. I mean, you gotta think of it that way," he said.
Unfortunately, things didn't get much better for residents at night as power remained out for Moorpark and Simi Valley residents.
