Power Surge Short Circuits Livermore Neighborhood; 'It Is The Doorbell But It's Fried'

LIVERMORE (CBS SF) -- During a windstorm two weeks ago, a palm frond fell onto electrical lines triggering a power surge that has jolted a Livermore neighborhood.

PG&E has solved part of the problem, chopping down the palm tree and targeting others for removal after getting permission from city officials.

But neighbors are still wrestling with replacing damaged appliances and wondering who will cover the cost. Among those residents is George Paloma.

"It is the doorbell but it's fried," Paloma pointed out the damage during a walkthrough of his home. "It was cold ... the last I checked it was 59 degrees in the house."

So far he has had to replace his refrigerator, dishwasher and heater. Unfortunately, the list continues to grow and the expenses keep rising.

The power surge was so powerful it blew the meters off houses and fried electronics affecting more than 500 residents like Sudesh Baru, who said he had to replace a "washing machine, microwave, AC unit upstairs"

So for now, Paloma said "you just put it on the credit card and pay later and see what PGE can do."

Livermore's Assistant Public Works Director Jeff Shafer told KPIX that PG&E has never raised concerns about the trees in the neighborhood near Elaine Avenue and Holmes Street.

"Those palm trees are large and they've been there a significant amount of time PGE has never contacted us that they had a concern," he said.

Some neighbors lost solar panels, pool pumps garage door openers and sprinkler controller panels. Basically anything that was plugged in when the surge hit.

PG&E says homeowners can file a claim to report any damage during the surge, but questions still weigh heavily on homeowners who wonder if their loses will truly be covered.

"So you just put it on the credit card and pay later and see what PGE can do," Paloma said.