East Bay Residents Scramble To Prepare For Life Without Power During PG&E Outages
OAKLAND (KPIX) - At the Costco on Monument Boulevard in Concord, gas lines were wrapping around the block for the chance to fuel up before the lights potentially go out.
"I filled up the propane, too - so I'll have a refrigerator and I'll have a generator for the house," said Rod Michaelson of Walnut Creek. His backup plan is moving into his RV, which he also fueled up for another $200.
In Oakland, preparations were moving from the personal level to citywide, with all cops having days off canceled for all hands on deck patrol.
"We take this red flag warning extremely seriously, we all know the devastation that fires can cause and so this is a time to be extremely vigilant. Do not use equipment that might cause sparks. Be extremely cautious if you are a smoker. Might be a good week to quit," said Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf at a news conference.
Oakland Fire Chief Darin White issued a warning to residents in the hills - a lesson learned from the Oakland Hills firestorm of 1991.
"For those of you who live in the hills, where we know there are challenges with access and egress for first responders and other members of the community. We ask that you remember to park off street in your driveways," White said.
Mayor Schaaf also sent a message to Pacific Gas and Electric, if the power is turned off and not restored quickly enough.
"And it is our hope that that does not happen, 5 days without electricity is pretty unacceptable for our community and we certainly expect PG&E to do everything within it's power to assure that we don't see those kinds of impacts."
