One of the biggest problems, as we sat in the lobby of a local hotel, was that there was an utter lack of information being disseminated. PG&E had a generic message that you could reach after about 10 minutes of shuffling through their switch board, but few updates and new information.
The City of Davis had, up until yesterday evening, virtually no information available. The city webpage had no content on it about the emergency. In fact, if you clicked on emergency information, it said that the city of Davis had no emergencies at this time. Let me tell you, that caused quite a chuckle from nervous and tired “refugees.” Channel 16 (the City of Davis Government Channel) had no information either.
Finally, late last night, after checking multiple times, the city webpage had a link to clink on for emergency information. And even that, did not provide a lot of information.
Channel Sixteen finally began broadcasting emergency information sometime late on Saturday. At midday we looked and there was no such information available. The message that played last night only provided generic information which had been recorded at 7:30 pm. This information was still playing at nearly 10 pm last night, which meant that it was information that was two and a half hours old and needed to be updated.
Getting shelter information to the elderly and disabled needed to be a top priority and that could not have occurred by TV or internet and had to occur via word of mouth.
The two best sources for information were on the Davis Wiki and the Davis Enterprise Websites. (Again you had to be mobile enough to get to a place with power for that to be helpful).
Even then there was not a lot of information. That is by no means a criticism of either the Wiki or the Enterprise. They did the best they could. The information was just not available and that falls squarely on the city of Davis and PG&E.
As the Enterprise wrote:
“At 3 p.m. Saturday, PG&E spokesman Keely Wachs from San Francisco said nearly 10,000 people in Davis were still without power as a result of Friday’s severe storm.
…
Several people complained that PG&E was not updating phone or Web page information about outages.
‘We’re swamped but that’s not an excuse,’ said Wachs on Saturday. ‘I’ll call our customer care team and see what they can do.'”
In fact it was completely inadequate.
As Supervisor Matt Rexroad pointed out on his blog, SMUD had their power on much faster and provided far better information for their customers.
This prompted him to remark:
“Personally, I would have liked the 30% rate reduction and the more complete information.”
As one of our officials pointed out to me on the phone as I was driving around town yesterday to get a sense of the situation, we knew this storm was coming and we knew it would be bad.
Shelters were up last night, I’m not sure that they were up on Friday night. That’s not acceptable. We knew that given the early predictions many would be without power Friday night.
The information infrastructure was slow. They did not utilize Channel 16 or the Internet until it was too late.
The final and most concerning point, is that the most vulnerable people would not have had access to either the internet or a TV, so how was information to get to them?
I was told by a reliable source that there were no plans to go door to door in Davis. However, we did hear the city of Woodland was doing exactly that–going door to door.
We need to get this right for the next emergency that is likely to be far more dangerous and life-threatening than this one was.
—Doug Paul Davis reporting
Did anyone check the public safety AM radio station? I would think that a more reliable source of Davis info than the web. My residence never lost power, but my local ISP was offline for a majority of the past 2 days.
Did anyone check the public safety AM radio station? I would think that a more reliable source of Davis info than the web. My residence never lost power, but my local ISP was offline for a majority of the past 2 days.
Did anyone check the public safety AM radio station? I would think that a more reliable source of Davis info than the web. My residence never lost power, but my local ISP was offline for a majority of the past 2 days.
Did anyone check the public safety AM radio station? I would think that a more reliable source of Davis info than the web. My residence never lost power, but my local ISP was offline for a majority of the past 2 days.
I totally lost power, so our car radio was our only source of information. AM 1300 was rather useless – it simply told us the weather, and had no updates on the electrical situation.
I totally lost power, so our car radio was our only source of information. AM 1300 was rather useless – it simply told us the weather, and had no updates on the electrical situation.
I totally lost power, so our car radio was our only source of information. AM 1300 was rather useless – it simply told us the weather, and had no updates on the electrical situation.
I totally lost power, so our car radio was our only source of information. AM 1300 was rather useless – it simply told us the weather, and had no updates on the electrical situation.
Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power? I also cannot find any information regarding the public schools. Will they be up and running for Monday? The lack of accesible and current information is very frustrating.
Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power? I also cannot find any information regarding the public schools. Will they be up and running for Monday? The lack of accesible and current information is very frustrating.
Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power? I also cannot find any information regarding the public schools. Will they be up and running for Monday? The lack of accesible and current information is very frustrating.
Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power? I also cannot find any information regarding the public schools. Will they be up and running for Monday? The lack of accesible and current information is very frustrating.
Why not try again to drop PG&E and join SMUD? Perhaps this time, current SMUD members could be offered a real inducement to approve this idea such as a short-term rate reduction funded by a separate funding bond paid for by the new members? This could cut into our 30% rate reduction for a time but would be worth it in the long-run.
Why not try again to drop PG&E and join SMUD? Perhaps this time, current SMUD members could be offered a real inducement to approve this idea such as a short-term rate reduction funded by a separate funding bond paid for by the new members? This could cut into our 30% rate reduction for a time but would be worth it in the long-run.
Why not try again to drop PG&E and join SMUD? Perhaps this time, current SMUD members could be offered a real inducement to approve this idea such as a short-term rate reduction funded by a separate funding bond paid for by the new members? This could cut into our 30% rate reduction for a time but would be worth it in the long-run.
Why not try again to drop PG&E and join SMUD? Perhaps this time, current SMUD members could be offered a real inducement to approve this idea such as a short-term rate reduction funded by a separate funding bond paid for by the new members? This could cut into our 30% rate reduction for a time but would be worth it in the long-run.
I’m in North Davis. I lost power early Friday morning. Friday night I finally called PG&E. There was a phone message giving a special phone number for people who have lost power for 24 hours. Saturday mid-day and still without power, I called the special number. There was a recording giving a special number if you’ve lost power for 48 hours. I went through their automated system to leave my cell phone number to be contacted once the power was restored. Power was restored around 5:00 pm on Saturday, but I discovered this only because I stopped by home to check on my dog. No phone call was received.
However, we have no cable service and only get the channels we can pick up by “antenna” – a very fuzzy 3, 6, 10 & 13. I don’t know if that is happening all over town.
The reason given when calling PG&E for the outage was “trees hitting the wires.” However, there are no above ground wires in my area – all electric is underground. A friend of mine told me that he had heard somewhere that that there was a series of poles along Poleline Road that had blown down that was causing the trouble. I guess all of North Davis is dependent on the line of poles along Poleline Road. Who knew? Regardless, I thought that there was an ability to bypass a troubled spot to restore power while repairs are made.
What was even more frustrating was that my neighbors directly across the street had power the whole time. I had to go to sleep, huddled under multiple blankets and my dog sleeping at my feet, with the view of my neighbors Christmas lights blazing away.
One problem with the power being off so long is that I lost an entire refrigerator and freezer worth of food. I can imagine how difficult this will be for someone on a low or fixed income.
The City, or, even better, PG&E, should have had reverse phone calls giving out the information on what was happening and where warming shelters were OR go door to door to check on people OR at least contacted the neighborhood associations (Grande, Covell Commons, etc.) to get them to spread the word (they had nothing better to do.)
I’m in North Davis. I lost power early Friday morning. Friday night I finally called PG&E. There was a phone message giving a special phone number for people who have lost power for 24 hours. Saturday mid-day and still without power, I called the special number. There was a recording giving a special number if you’ve lost power for 48 hours. I went through their automated system to leave my cell phone number to be contacted once the power was restored. Power was restored around 5:00 pm on Saturday, but I discovered this only because I stopped by home to check on my dog. No phone call was received.
However, we have no cable service and only get the channels we can pick up by “antenna” – a very fuzzy 3, 6, 10 & 13. I don’t know if that is happening all over town.
The reason given when calling PG&E for the outage was “trees hitting the wires.” However, there are no above ground wires in my area – all electric is underground. A friend of mine told me that he had heard somewhere that that there was a series of poles along Poleline Road that had blown down that was causing the trouble. I guess all of North Davis is dependent on the line of poles along Poleline Road. Who knew? Regardless, I thought that there was an ability to bypass a troubled spot to restore power while repairs are made.
What was even more frustrating was that my neighbors directly across the street had power the whole time. I had to go to sleep, huddled under multiple blankets and my dog sleeping at my feet, with the view of my neighbors Christmas lights blazing away.
One problem with the power being off so long is that I lost an entire refrigerator and freezer worth of food. I can imagine how difficult this will be for someone on a low or fixed income.
The City, or, even better, PG&E, should have had reverse phone calls giving out the information on what was happening and where warming shelters were OR go door to door to check on people OR at least contacted the neighborhood associations (Grande, Covell Commons, etc.) to get them to spread the word (they had nothing better to do.)
I’m in North Davis. I lost power early Friday morning. Friday night I finally called PG&E. There was a phone message giving a special phone number for people who have lost power for 24 hours. Saturday mid-day and still without power, I called the special number. There was a recording giving a special number if you’ve lost power for 48 hours. I went through their automated system to leave my cell phone number to be contacted once the power was restored. Power was restored around 5:00 pm on Saturday, but I discovered this only because I stopped by home to check on my dog. No phone call was received.
However, we have no cable service and only get the channels we can pick up by “antenna” – a very fuzzy 3, 6, 10 & 13. I don’t know if that is happening all over town.
The reason given when calling PG&E for the outage was “trees hitting the wires.” However, there are no above ground wires in my area – all electric is underground. A friend of mine told me that he had heard somewhere that that there was a series of poles along Poleline Road that had blown down that was causing the trouble. I guess all of North Davis is dependent on the line of poles along Poleline Road. Who knew? Regardless, I thought that there was an ability to bypass a troubled spot to restore power while repairs are made.
What was even more frustrating was that my neighbors directly across the street had power the whole time. I had to go to sleep, huddled under multiple blankets and my dog sleeping at my feet, with the view of my neighbors Christmas lights blazing away.
One problem with the power being off so long is that I lost an entire refrigerator and freezer worth of food. I can imagine how difficult this will be for someone on a low or fixed income.
The City, or, even better, PG&E, should have had reverse phone calls giving out the information on what was happening and where warming shelters were OR go door to door to check on people OR at least contacted the neighborhood associations (Grande, Covell Commons, etc.) to get them to spread the word (they had nothing better to do.)
I’m in North Davis. I lost power early Friday morning. Friday night I finally called PG&E. There was a phone message giving a special phone number for people who have lost power for 24 hours. Saturday mid-day and still without power, I called the special number. There was a recording giving a special number if you’ve lost power for 48 hours. I went through their automated system to leave my cell phone number to be contacted once the power was restored. Power was restored around 5:00 pm on Saturday, but I discovered this only because I stopped by home to check on my dog. No phone call was received.
However, we have no cable service and only get the channels we can pick up by “antenna” – a very fuzzy 3, 6, 10 & 13. I don’t know if that is happening all over town.
The reason given when calling PG&E for the outage was “trees hitting the wires.” However, there are no above ground wires in my area – all electric is underground. A friend of mine told me that he had heard somewhere that that there was a series of poles along Poleline Road that had blown down that was causing the trouble. I guess all of North Davis is dependent on the line of poles along Poleline Road. Who knew? Regardless, I thought that there was an ability to bypass a troubled spot to restore power while repairs are made.
What was even more frustrating was that my neighbors directly across the street had power the whole time. I had to go to sleep, huddled under multiple blankets and my dog sleeping at my feet, with the view of my neighbors Christmas lights blazing away.
One problem with the power being off so long is that I lost an entire refrigerator and freezer worth of food. I can imagine how difficult this will be for someone on a low or fixed income.
The City, or, even better, PG&E, should have had reverse phone calls giving out the information on what was happening and where warming shelters were OR go door to door to check on people OR at least contacted the neighborhood associations (Grande, Covell Commons, etc.) to get them to spread the word (they had nothing better to do.)
I’ve been receiving messages this morning, apparently east and south Davis in parts still do not have power.
I’ve been receiving messages this morning, apparently east and south Davis in parts still do not have power.
I’ve been receiving messages this morning, apparently east and south Davis in parts still do not have power.
I’ve been receiving messages this morning, apparently east and south Davis in parts still do not have power.
to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly. the shelters should have been set up and publicized well ahead of time, though.
i don’t get this feigned surprise at a big winter storm. we get them every couple of years, it’s like being surprised at a 115 degree heat wave in the summer.
to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly. the shelters should have been set up and publicized well ahead of time, though.
i don’t get this feigned surprise at a big winter storm. we get them every couple of years, it’s like being surprised at a 115 degree heat wave in the summer.
to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly. the shelters should have been set up and publicized well ahead of time, though.
i don’t get this feigned surprise at a big winter storm. we get them every couple of years, it’s like being surprised at a 115 degree heat wave in the summer.
to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly. the shelters should have been set up and publicized well ahead of time, though.
i don’t get this feigned surprise at a big winter storm. we get them every couple of years, it’s like being surprised at a 115 degree heat wave in the summer.
PG&E will pay you for damages but you need to keep receipts and records to show your losses. This is something that the PG&E help line forgot to tell you. Just call PG&E and make all your claims so that they get the message. Without consequences, PG&E doesn’t do very much.
PG&E will pay you for damages but you need to keep receipts and records to show your losses. This is something that the PG&E help line forgot to tell you. Just call PG&E and make all your claims so that they get the message. Without consequences, PG&E doesn’t do very much.
PG&E will pay you for damages but you need to keep receipts and records to show your losses. This is something that the PG&E help line forgot to tell you. Just call PG&E and make all your claims so that they get the message. Without consequences, PG&E doesn’t do very much.
PG&E will pay you for damages but you need to keep receipts and records to show your losses. This is something that the PG&E help line forgot to tell you. Just call PG&E and make all your claims so that they get the message. Without consequences, PG&E doesn’t do very much.
City of Davis and Yolo County had no 9-1-1 for hours AND those 9-1-1 centers had no phones either. See the Daily Democrat article. Apparently the Yolo County Emergency Services Agency that dispatches for most police and fire in Yolo County did not have functioning power generator. Nice.
City of Davis and Yolo County had no 9-1-1 for hours AND those 9-1-1 centers had no phones either. See the Daily Democrat article. Apparently the Yolo County Emergency Services Agency that dispatches for most police and fire in Yolo County did not have functioning power generator. Nice.
City of Davis and Yolo County had no 9-1-1 for hours AND those 9-1-1 centers had no phones either. See the Daily Democrat article. Apparently the Yolo County Emergency Services Agency that dispatches for most police and fire in Yolo County did not have functioning power generator. Nice.
City of Davis and Yolo County had no 9-1-1 for hours AND those 9-1-1 centers had no phones either. See the Daily Democrat article. Apparently the Yolo County Emergency Services Agency that dispatches for most police and fire in Yolo County did not have functioning power generator. Nice.
I think for 911 dispatch not to have backup power generators is absolutely insane, especially when AT&T managed to do that and keep the lines pretty much up (my phone in West Davis was working when the power was out until Saturday evening).
I think for 911 dispatch not to have backup power generators is absolutely insane, especially when AT&T managed to do that and keep the lines pretty much up (my phone in West Davis was working when the power was out until Saturday evening).
I think for 911 dispatch not to have backup power generators is absolutely insane, especially when AT&T managed to do that and keep the lines pretty much up (my phone in West Davis was working when the power was out until Saturday evening).
I think for 911 dispatch not to have backup power generators is absolutely insane, especially when AT&T managed to do that and keep the lines pretty much up (my phone in West Davis was working when the power was out until Saturday evening).
“Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power?”
Not everyone in my Sycamore Lane neighborhood has power. While we got ours back last night — long after my sister, a SMUD customer, got hers back on — our neighbors across the street (on Plum and Acacia) don’t have any power, yet. They were also the first to lose power, three hours prior to us.
“to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly.”
I agree with this. I did not see a lot of flooded streets, something I have experienced in previous storm situations. Also, we had street sweepers running around, making sure the gutters were clear.
On the other hand, there was a huge Eucalyptus tree blocking all of Sycamore Lane (at Villanova) much of Friday afternoon. At least four hours after I told a Davis police officer that the road was completely blocked, the tree was still there. (It was eventually cut up by city crews and the thoroughfare was opened.)
“Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power?”
Not everyone in my Sycamore Lane neighborhood has power. While we got ours back last night — long after my sister, a SMUD customer, got hers back on — our neighbors across the street (on Plum and Acacia) don’t have any power, yet. They were also the first to lose power, three hours prior to us.
“to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly.”
I agree with this. I did not see a lot of flooded streets, something I have experienced in previous storm situations. Also, we had street sweepers running around, making sure the gutters were clear.
On the other hand, there was a huge Eucalyptus tree blocking all of Sycamore Lane (at Villanova) much of Friday afternoon. At least four hours after I told a Davis police officer that the road was completely blocked, the tree was still there. (It was eventually cut up by city crews and the thoroughfare was opened.)
“Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power?”
Not everyone in my Sycamore Lane neighborhood has power. While we got ours back last night — long after my sister, a SMUD customer, got hers back on — our neighbors across the street (on Plum and Acacia) don’t have any power, yet. They were also the first to lose power, three hours prior to us.
“to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly.”
I agree with this. I did not see a lot of flooded streets, something I have experienced in previous storm situations. Also, we had street sweepers running around, making sure the gutters were clear.
On the other hand, there was a huge Eucalyptus tree blocking all of Sycamore Lane (at Villanova) much of Friday afternoon. At least four hours after I told a Davis police officer that the road was completely blocked, the tree was still there. (It was eventually cut up by city crews and the thoroughfare was opened.)
“Is the power back on throughout the entire city, or are there still areas without power?”
Not everyone in my Sycamore Lane neighborhood has power. While we got ours back last night — long after my sister, a SMUD customer, got hers back on — our neighbors across the street (on Plum and Acacia) don’t have any power, yet. They were also the first to lose power, three hours prior to us.
“to the city of davis’ credit, they did a good job of cleaning up blocked storm drains and moving fallen trees and branches pretty quickly.”
I agree with this. I did not see a lot of flooded streets, something I have experienced in previous storm situations. Also, we had street sweepers running around, making sure the gutters were clear.
On the other hand, there was a huge Eucalyptus tree blocking all of Sycamore Lane (at Villanova) much of Friday afternoon. At least four hours after I told a Davis police officer that the road was completely blocked, the tree was still there. (It was eventually cut up by city crews and the thoroughfare was opened.)
Folks — while no doubt this has been an inconvenience for all (my East Davis home still has no power, but they’re working on it now), I would hope that some sense of perspective can be maintained. This was an extreme event, with more than 350,000 SMUD and PG&E customers losing power throughout the region. That most of Davis has power restored in less than 48 hours is really pretty remarkable. It’s easy to kvetch, but all things considered, I’m very impressed with the response of all those working their tails off on our behalf.
Folks — while no doubt this has been an inconvenience for all (my East Davis home still has no power, but they’re working on it now), I would hope that some sense of perspective can be maintained. This was an extreme event, with more than 350,000 SMUD and PG&E customers losing power throughout the region. That most of Davis has power restored in less than 48 hours is really pretty remarkable. It’s easy to kvetch, but all things considered, I’m very impressed with the response of all those working their tails off on our behalf.
Folks — while no doubt this has been an inconvenience for all (my East Davis home still has no power, but they’re working on it now), I would hope that some sense of perspective can be maintained. This was an extreme event, with more than 350,000 SMUD and PG&E customers losing power throughout the region. That most of Davis has power restored in less than 48 hours is really pretty remarkable. It’s easy to kvetch, but all things considered, I’m very impressed with the response of all those working their tails off on our behalf.
Folks — while no doubt this has been an inconvenience for all (my East Davis home still has no power, but they’re working on it now), I would hope that some sense of perspective can be maintained. This was an extreme event, with more than 350,000 SMUD and PG&E customers losing power throughout the region. That most of Davis has power restored in less than 48 hours is really pretty remarkable. It’s easy to kvetch, but all things considered, I’m very impressed with the response of all those working their tails off on our behalf.
It is time to start the campaign to change utility companies again. There are still wide spread power outages through out the entire county. In trying to make more money, PG&E has NOT changed aging infrastructure and has fewer and fewer employees to assist in times of crisis. They’re the worst electric company in the nation and this proves it.
It is time to start the campaign to change utility companies again. There are still wide spread power outages through out the entire county. In trying to make more money, PG&E has NOT changed aging infrastructure and has fewer and fewer employees to assist in times of crisis. They’re the worst electric company in the nation and this proves it.
It is time to start the campaign to change utility companies again. There are still wide spread power outages through out the entire county. In trying to make more money, PG&E has NOT changed aging infrastructure and has fewer and fewer employees to assist in times of crisis. They’re the worst electric company in the nation and this proves it.
It is time to start the campaign to change utility companies again. There are still wide spread power outages through out the entire county. In trying to make more money, PG&E has NOT changed aging infrastructure and has fewer and fewer employees to assist in times of crisis. They’re the worst electric company in the nation and this proves it.
About 14,000 Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers were without power as of early Sunday, mostly in Rancho Cordova and east Foothill Farms. Many will not see electricity return until Tuesday, SMUD said.
both SMUD and PGE have problems.
live in south davis and have never lost power…
About 14,000 Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers were without power as of early Sunday, mostly in Rancho Cordova and east Foothill Farms. Many will not see electricity return until Tuesday, SMUD said.
both SMUD and PGE have problems.
live in south davis and have never lost power…
About 14,000 Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers were without power as of early Sunday, mostly in Rancho Cordova and east Foothill Farms. Many will not see electricity return until Tuesday, SMUD said.
both SMUD and PGE have problems.
live in south davis and have never lost power…
About 14,000 Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers were without power as of early Sunday, mostly in Rancho Cordova and east Foothill Farms. Many will not see electricity return until Tuesday, SMUD said.
both SMUD and PGE have problems.
live in south davis and have never lost power…
I don’t know if blaming PG&E and/or SMUD is really useful here. California was knocked around by a nasty storm and powerlines were snapped, trees fell, etc. Each company’s workers were out there in full force working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
I think the larger complain is the inadequate communication on the part of the utility companies, and, even moreso in my opinion, the City of Davis. Too many of us were, literally, “in the dark” for 30 to 40 hours.
And to the previous poster in South Davis, I’m in South Davis too and we didn’t have power for about 30 hours (and then it was only ‘partial power’ for 4 hours, complete outage again for another hour, before final restoration by about 8:00pm)
I don’t know if blaming PG&E and/or SMUD is really useful here. California was knocked around by a nasty storm and powerlines were snapped, trees fell, etc. Each company’s workers were out there in full force working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
I think the larger complain is the inadequate communication on the part of the utility companies, and, even moreso in my opinion, the City of Davis. Too many of us were, literally, “in the dark” for 30 to 40 hours.
And to the previous poster in South Davis, I’m in South Davis too and we didn’t have power for about 30 hours (and then it was only ‘partial power’ for 4 hours, complete outage again for another hour, before final restoration by about 8:00pm)
I don’t know if blaming PG&E and/or SMUD is really useful here. California was knocked around by a nasty storm and powerlines were snapped, trees fell, etc. Each company’s workers were out there in full force working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
I think the larger complain is the inadequate communication on the part of the utility companies, and, even moreso in my opinion, the City of Davis. Too many of us were, literally, “in the dark” for 30 to 40 hours.
And to the previous poster in South Davis, I’m in South Davis too and we didn’t have power for about 30 hours (and then it was only ‘partial power’ for 4 hours, complete outage again for another hour, before final restoration by about 8:00pm)
I don’t know if blaming PG&E and/or SMUD is really useful here. California was knocked around by a nasty storm and powerlines were snapped, trees fell, etc. Each company’s workers were out there in full force working hard to restore power as quickly and safely as possible.
I think the larger complain is the inadequate communication on the part of the utility companies, and, even moreso in my opinion, the City of Davis. Too many of us were, literally, “in the dark” for 30 to 40 hours.
And to the previous poster in South Davis, I’m in South Davis too and we didn’t have power for about 30 hours (and then it was only ‘partial power’ for 4 hours, complete outage again for another hour, before final restoration by about 8:00pm)
My power went out at about 8 on Friday (I was up early and prepared), back on about 9:30 am Sat. This was only the second worst power outage I’ve been through in 50 years in Davis, just over 24 hours (the record is over 48 hrs in my location and affected just one side of my block). I’ve also been through numerous flood situations and the predictions for this storm led me to expect far worse.
I did get a callback from PG&E Friday evening with an ETR of 4pm Saturday, which was conservative.
I also had the advantage of an out of area Internet provider, a working land line for dialup, a fully charged laptop and cell phone, and a regular old phone that is powered from the phone line. I don’t use TV (cable or regular), so I didn’t know how the coverage there was. I have battery and crank operated LED lanterns & flashlights, a gas water heater that doesn’t need electricity and in anticipation of the storm, minimal potential fridge spoilage (the freezer was just beginning to defrost at 24 hrs); I had dry milk and similar food supplies not needing refrigeration. So I stayed home, read a couple of books and reassured my pet bird, who was confused by the “long night” and probably by the lack of heat, although he’s good down to near freezing, and I don’t think the house got below 50 degrees. I touched bases with a relative and a friend, but never felt in need of “shelter” elsewhere.
We had water pressure throughout and the phone lines were up; we were lucky in that; I only remember one regional outage years ago when trees put the phone wires down too.
I do agree with the consternation about the 911 lines (I never tried that, figured they’d be tied up and I didn’t have an emergency) and City information. The lack of backup generators is puzzling; a no brainer for police and fire one would think, and my Internet provider has generators, although apparently the local ISP the City uses doesn’t (they went down in a heat wave a few years ago; one would think they’d have learned.)
I never saw a police car or person. It was a little strange being perhaps the only person around Friday night; I wondered if the police were watching the businesses and empty residential blocks at all. The G Street shopping center (Food CO-OP) were out more than 36 hours (they were back on by 3am Sun), so they undoubtedly took a huge hit in spoilage and lost patronage, as would all restaurants. Street flooding did seem to be less than I expected; I cleared a clogged inlet on my block myself Friday afternoon, figuring the City crews were overwhelmed.
As noted, Internet and TV info are not much help unless you’ve got a laptop, generator, big battery backup system, a dialup connection and working phone line, you’re out of luck. Even the cell networks can go down in regional emergencies (9-11 in NY). Door to door checks and reliable communications systems for the police, fire and city should have been used. There should be lists with emergency services of people/households of elderly and others at risk when power fails, so they could be checked on immediately. Places like Chicago who have experienced heat disasters have implemented such plans, and we certainly regularly get both heat waves with power emergencies and severe storms every few years.
Did SMUD do better on repairs because they were better prepared, or because the particular circumstances were different? I remember times working in Sacramento when SMUD was out and PG&E in Davis wasn’t.
But, my general reaction is: What wimps we’ve become. I’ve experienced 3 weeks of being totally snowed in with snow to the roof peaks, numerous major storms and floods. This was an inconvenience by comparison.
My power went out at about 8 on Friday (I was up early and prepared), back on about 9:30 am Sat. This was only the second worst power outage I’ve been through in 50 years in Davis, just over 24 hours (the record is over 48 hrs in my location and affected just one side of my block). I’ve also been through numerous flood situations and the predictions for this storm led me to expect far worse.
I did get a callback from PG&E Friday evening with an ETR of 4pm Saturday, which was conservative.
I also had the advantage of an out of area Internet provider, a working land line for dialup, a fully charged laptop and cell phone, and a regular old phone that is powered from the phone line. I don’t use TV (cable or regular), so I didn’t know how the coverage there was. I have battery and crank operated LED lanterns & flashlights, a gas water heater that doesn’t need electricity and in anticipation of the storm, minimal potential fridge spoilage (the freezer was just beginning to defrost at 24 hrs); I had dry milk and similar food supplies not needing refrigeration. So I stayed home, read a couple of books and reassured my pet bird, who was confused by the “long night” and probably by the lack of heat, although he’s good down to near freezing, and I don’t think the house got below 50 degrees. I touched bases with a relative and a friend, but never felt in need of “shelter” elsewhere.
We had water pressure throughout and the phone lines were up; we were lucky in that; I only remember one regional outage years ago when trees put the phone wires down too.
I do agree with the consternation about the 911 lines (I never tried that, figured they’d be tied up and I didn’t have an emergency) and City information. The lack of backup generators is puzzling; a no brainer for police and fire one would think, and my Internet provider has generators, although apparently the local ISP the City uses doesn’t (they went down in a heat wave a few years ago; one would think they’d have learned.)
I never saw a police car or person. It was a little strange being perhaps the only person around Friday night; I wondered if the police were watching the businesses and empty residential blocks at all. The G Street shopping center (Food CO-OP) were out more than 36 hours (they were back on by 3am Sun), so they undoubtedly took a huge hit in spoilage and lost patronage, as would all restaurants. Street flooding did seem to be less than I expected; I cleared a clogged inlet on my block myself Friday afternoon, figuring the City crews were overwhelmed.
As noted, Internet and TV info are not much help unless you’ve got a laptop, generator, big battery backup system, a dialup connection and working phone line, you’re out of luck. Even the cell networks can go down in regional emergencies (9-11 in NY). Door to door checks and reliable communications systems for the police, fire and city should have been used. There should be lists with emergency services of people/households of elderly and others at risk when power fails, so they could be checked on immediately. Places like Chicago who have experienced heat disasters have implemented such plans, and we certainly regularly get both heat waves with power emergencies and severe storms every few years.
Did SMUD do better on repairs because they were better prepared, or because the particular circumstances were different? I remember times working in Sacramento when SMUD was out and PG&E in Davis wasn’t.
But, my general reaction is: What wimps we’ve become. I’ve experienced 3 weeks of being totally snowed in with snow to the roof peaks, numerous major storms and floods. This was an inconvenience by comparison.
My power went out at about 8 on Friday (I was up early and prepared), back on about 9:30 am Sat. This was only the second worst power outage I’ve been through in 50 years in Davis, just over 24 hours (the record is over 48 hrs in my location and affected just one side of my block). I’ve also been through numerous flood situations and the predictions for this storm led me to expect far worse.
I did get a callback from PG&E Friday evening with an ETR of 4pm Saturday, which was conservative.
I also had the advantage of an out of area Internet provider, a working land line for dialup, a fully charged laptop and cell phone, and a regular old phone that is powered from the phone line. I don’t use TV (cable or regular), so I didn’t know how the coverage there was. I have battery and crank operated LED lanterns & flashlights, a gas water heater that doesn’t need electricity and in anticipation of the storm, minimal potential fridge spoilage (the freezer was just beginning to defrost at 24 hrs); I had dry milk and similar food supplies not needing refrigeration. So I stayed home, read a couple of books and reassured my pet bird, who was confused by the “long night” and probably by the lack of heat, although he’s good down to near freezing, and I don’t think the house got below 50 degrees. I touched bases with a relative and a friend, but never felt in need of “shelter” elsewhere.
We had water pressure throughout and the phone lines were up; we were lucky in that; I only remember one regional outage years ago when trees put the phone wires down too.
I do agree with the consternation about the 911 lines (I never tried that, figured they’d be tied up and I didn’t have an emergency) and City information. The lack of backup generators is puzzling; a no brainer for police and fire one would think, and my Internet provider has generators, although apparently the local ISP the City uses doesn’t (they went down in a heat wave a few years ago; one would think they’d have learned.)
I never saw a police car or person. It was a little strange being perhaps the only person around Friday night; I wondered if the police were watching the businesses and empty residential blocks at all. The G Street shopping center (Food CO-OP) were out more than 36 hours (they were back on by 3am Sun), so they undoubtedly took a huge hit in spoilage and lost patronage, as would all restaurants. Street flooding did seem to be less than I expected; I cleared a clogged inlet on my block myself Friday afternoon, figuring the City crews were overwhelmed.
As noted, Internet and TV info are not much help unless you’ve got a laptop, generator, big battery backup system, a dialup connection and working phone line, you’re out of luck. Even the cell networks can go down in regional emergencies (9-11 in NY). Door to door checks and reliable communications systems for the police, fire and city should have been used. There should be lists with emergency services of people/households of elderly and others at risk when power fails, so they could be checked on immediately. Places like Chicago who have experienced heat disasters have implemented such plans, and we certainly regularly get both heat waves with power emergencies and severe storms every few years.
Did SMUD do better on repairs because they were better prepared, or because the particular circumstances were different? I remember times working in Sacramento when SMUD was out and PG&E in Davis wasn’t.
But, my general reaction is: What wimps we’ve become. I’ve experienced 3 weeks of being totally snowed in with snow to the roof peaks, numerous major storms and floods. This was an inconvenience by comparison.
My power went out at about 8 on Friday (I was up early and prepared), back on about 9:30 am Sat. This was only the second worst power outage I’ve been through in 50 years in Davis, just over 24 hours (the record is over 48 hrs in my location and affected just one side of my block). I’ve also been through numerous flood situations and the predictions for this storm led me to expect far worse.
I did get a callback from PG&E Friday evening with an ETR of 4pm Saturday, which was conservative.
I also had the advantage of an out of area Internet provider, a working land line for dialup, a fully charged laptop and cell phone, and a regular old phone that is powered from the phone line. I don’t use TV (cable or regular), so I didn’t know how the coverage there was. I have battery and crank operated LED lanterns & flashlights, a gas water heater that doesn’t need electricity and in anticipation of the storm, minimal potential fridge spoilage (the freezer was just beginning to defrost at 24 hrs); I had dry milk and similar food supplies not needing refrigeration. So I stayed home, read a couple of books and reassured my pet bird, who was confused by the “long night” and probably by the lack of heat, although he’s good down to near freezing, and I don’t think the house got below 50 degrees. I touched bases with a relative and a friend, but never felt in need of “shelter” elsewhere.
We had water pressure throughout and the phone lines were up; we were lucky in that; I only remember one regional outage years ago when trees put the phone wires down too.
I do agree with the consternation about the 911 lines (I never tried that, figured they’d be tied up and I didn’t have an emergency) and City information. The lack of backup generators is puzzling; a no brainer for police and fire one would think, and my Internet provider has generators, although apparently the local ISP the City uses doesn’t (they went down in a heat wave a few years ago; one would think they’d have learned.)
I never saw a police car or person. It was a little strange being perhaps the only person around Friday night; I wondered if the police were watching the businesses and empty residential blocks at all. The G Street shopping center (Food CO-OP) were out more than 36 hours (they were back on by 3am Sun), so they undoubtedly took a huge hit in spoilage and lost patronage, as would all restaurants. Street flooding did seem to be less than I expected; I cleared a clogged inlet on my block myself Friday afternoon, figuring the City crews were overwhelmed.
As noted, Internet and TV info are not much help unless you’ve got a laptop, generator, big battery backup system, a dialup connection and working phone line, you’re out of luck. Even the cell networks can go down in regional emergencies (9-11 in NY). Door to door checks and reliable communications systems for the police, fire and city should have been used. There should be lists with emergency services of people/households of elderly and others at risk when power fails, so they could be checked on immediately. Places like Chicago who have experienced heat disasters have implemented such plans, and we certainly regularly get both heat waves with power emergencies and severe storms every few years.
Did SMUD do better on repairs because they were better prepared, or because the particular circumstances were different? I remember times working in Sacramento when SMUD was out and PG&E in Davis wasn’t.
But, my general reaction is: What wimps we’ve become. I’ve experienced 3 weeks of being totally snowed in with snow to the roof peaks, numerous major storms and floods. This was an inconvenience by comparison.
My major complaint is communication rather than speed of repair.
I don’t think this is a wimp issue either. You have the issue of seniors and disabled. But you also have the fact that though this was a relatively minor event, things were not done properly and that could be a huge problem in a more serious event. You have to get the small things right because you won’t get a chance to make mistakes come something more devastating.
My major complaint is communication rather than speed of repair.
I don’t think this is a wimp issue either. You have the issue of seniors and disabled. But you also have the fact that though this was a relatively minor event, things were not done properly and that could be a huge problem in a more serious event. You have to get the small things right because you won’t get a chance to make mistakes come something more devastating.
My major complaint is communication rather than speed of repair.
I don’t think this is a wimp issue either. You have the issue of seniors and disabled. But you also have the fact that though this was a relatively minor event, things were not done properly and that could be a huge problem in a more serious event. You have to get the small things right because you won’t get a chance to make mistakes come something more devastating.
My major complaint is communication rather than speed of repair.
I don’t think this is a wimp issue either. You have the issue of seniors and disabled. But you also have the fact that though this was a relatively minor event, things were not done properly and that could be a huge problem in a more serious event. You have to get the small things right because you won’t get a chance to make mistakes come something more devastating.
I find it interesting that there appears to be an expectation that the City and PG&E are the sole sources of interpersonal communication in a crisis (and even more importantly, an impending crisis) like we have experienced during the last five days. The intensity of this storm should have taken no one in Davis by surprise. Valerie has addressed personal preparedness above.
I’d like to address what we as citizens should have done before and during the intial hours of the storm in “getting information to the elderly and disabled.” The first place to start is by standing in front of a mirror and asking the person who gazes back at you, “How many elderly and/or disabled people did you call to ensure they were prepared for the worst?” :and “When did you call them?” The real bottom-line of being a community is the support we provide to one another. Expecting the City and PG&E to be omniscient and omni-present is short-sighted. If there is a communication/support problem, then that problem rests on a whole lot of shoulders.
In addition, we shouldn’t lose sight of the phrase, “It’s not nice to fool with Mother Mature.” In delivering the particulars of this storm to us, Mother Nature chose to deny one of the City’s prime shelters for the elderly (Veterans Memorial) of power. But even if there was power there, how do we expect the elderly and/or disabled to get to the shelter. Again, we are short-sighted if we expect the City or PG&E to do that. wE, Their neighbors and friends need to shoulder that expectation. Better still, we should welcome them into our homes during these times when they need us most.
I find it interesting that there appears to be an expectation that the City and PG&E are the sole sources of interpersonal communication in a crisis (and even more importantly, an impending crisis) like we have experienced during the last five days. The intensity of this storm should have taken no one in Davis by surprise. Valerie has addressed personal preparedness above.
I’d like to address what we as citizens should have done before and during the intial hours of the storm in “getting information to the elderly and disabled.” The first place to start is by standing in front of a mirror and asking the person who gazes back at you, “How many elderly and/or disabled people did you call to ensure they were prepared for the worst?” :and “When did you call them?” The real bottom-line of being a community is the support we provide to one another. Expecting the City and PG&E to be omniscient and omni-present is short-sighted. If there is a communication/support problem, then that problem rests on a whole lot of shoulders.
In addition, we shouldn’t lose sight of the phrase, “It’s not nice to fool with Mother Mature.” In delivering the particulars of this storm to us, Mother Nature chose to deny one of the City’s prime shelters for the elderly (Veterans Memorial) of power. But even if there was power there, how do we expect the elderly and/or disabled to get to the shelter. Again, we are short-sighted if we expect the City or PG&E to do that. wE, Their neighbors and friends need to shoulder that expectation. Better still, we should welcome them into our homes during these times when they need us most.
I find it interesting that there appears to be an expectation that the City and PG&E are the sole sources of interpersonal communication in a crisis (and even more importantly, an impending crisis) like we have experienced during the last five days. The intensity of this storm should have taken no one in Davis by surprise. Valerie has addressed personal preparedness above.
I’d like to address what we as citizens should have done before and during the intial hours of the storm in “getting information to the elderly and disabled.” The first place to start is by standing in front of a mirror and asking the person who gazes back at you, “How many elderly and/or disabled people did you call to ensure they were prepared for the worst?” :and “When did you call them?” The real bottom-line of being a community is the support we provide to one another. Expecting the City and PG&E to be omniscient and omni-present is short-sighted. If there is a communication/support problem, then that problem rests on a whole lot of shoulders.
In addition, we shouldn’t lose sight of the phrase, “It’s not nice to fool with Mother Mature.” In delivering the particulars of this storm to us, Mother Nature chose to deny one of the City’s prime shelters for the elderly (Veterans Memorial) of power. But even if there was power there, how do we expect the elderly and/or disabled to get to the shelter. Again, we are short-sighted if we expect the City or PG&E to do that. wE, Their neighbors and friends need to shoulder that expectation. Better still, we should welcome them into our homes during these times when they need us most.
I find it interesting that there appears to be an expectation that the City and PG&E are the sole sources of interpersonal communication in a crisis (and even more importantly, an impending crisis) like we have experienced during the last five days. The intensity of this storm should have taken no one in Davis by surprise. Valerie has addressed personal preparedness above.
I’d like to address what we as citizens should have done before and during the intial hours of the storm in “getting information to the elderly and disabled.” The first place to start is by standing in front of a mirror and asking the person who gazes back at you, “How many elderly and/or disabled people did you call to ensure they were prepared for the worst?” :and “When did you call them?” The real bottom-line of being a community is the support we provide to one another. Expecting the City and PG&E to be omniscient and omni-present is short-sighted. If there is a communication/support problem, then that problem rests on a whole lot of shoulders.
In addition, we shouldn’t lose sight of the phrase, “It’s not nice to fool with Mother Mature.” In delivering the particulars of this storm to us, Mother Nature chose to deny one of the City’s prime shelters for the elderly (Veterans Memorial) of power. But even if there was power there, how do we expect the elderly and/or disabled to get to the shelter. Again, we are short-sighted if we expect the City or PG&E to do that. wE, Their neighbors and friends need to shoulder that expectation. Better still, we should welcome them into our homes during these times when they need us most.
Normally I appreciate Matt William’s simple yet sensible approach. However, from a city-wide standpoint during a crisis, people need to be able to look toward the municipal government to organize and mobilize shelter and dispense information. This is the most basic of needs for government and in this case, it was woefully short of what we have come to expect.
Normally I appreciate Matt William’s simple yet sensible approach. However, from a city-wide standpoint during a crisis, people need to be able to look toward the municipal government to organize and mobilize shelter and dispense information. This is the most basic of needs for government and in this case, it was woefully short of what we have come to expect.
Normally I appreciate Matt William’s simple yet sensible approach. However, from a city-wide standpoint during a crisis, people need to be able to look toward the municipal government to organize and mobilize shelter and dispense information. This is the most basic of needs for government and in this case, it was woefully short of what we have come to expect.
Normally I appreciate Matt William’s simple yet sensible approach. However, from a city-wide standpoint during a crisis, people need to be able to look toward the municipal government to organize and mobilize shelter and dispense information. This is the most basic of needs for government and in this case, it was woefully short of what we have come to expect.
Sam, I appreciate your thoughts, but lets use this crisis as an example. My wife and I were without power for a bit less than 36 hours. Due to our own short-sightedness all our telephones are “current” which of course means they all require electricity to operate. How do you expect the City to communicate with us? Walk door-to-door?
What I really want is the City devoting virtually all its resources on getting the services back online as soon as possible.
They can only do so much. As I said, even if the Vets Memorial had power, is it your premise that the City should be communicating with each elderly/disabled person to coordinate their transport? What do you want the City to do if the person doesn’t want to leave their home?
That is our role as friends/neighbors/extended family. There simply aren’t enough of “them” to go around. And for most people the City person who contacted them would be a stranger. I can’t help but think of the wonderful saying, “Hello I’m from the Government and I’m here to help you.”
Sam, I appreciate your thoughts, but lets use this crisis as an example. My wife and I were without power for a bit less than 36 hours. Due to our own short-sightedness all our telephones are “current” which of course means they all require electricity to operate. How do you expect the City to communicate with us? Walk door-to-door?
What I really want is the City devoting virtually all its resources on getting the services back online as soon as possible.
They can only do so much. As I said, even if the Vets Memorial had power, is it your premise that the City should be communicating with each elderly/disabled person to coordinate their transport? What do you want the City to do if the person doesn’t want to leave their home?
That is our role as friends/neighbors/extended family. There simply aren’t enough of “them” to go around. And for most people the City person who contacted them would be a stranger. I can’t help but think of the wonderful saying, “Hello I’m from the Government and I’m here to help you.”
Sam, I appreciate your thoughts, but lets use this crisis as an example. My wife and I were without power for a bit less than 36 hours. Due to our own short-sightedness all our telephones are “current” which of course means they all require electricity to operate. How do you expect the City to communicate with us? Walk door-to-door?
What I really want is the City devoting virtually all its resources on getting the services back online as soon as possible.
They can only do so much. As I said, even if the Vets Memorial had power, is it your premise that the City should be communicating with each elderly/disabled person to coordinate their transport? What do you want the City to do if the person doesn’t want to leave their home?
That is our role as friends/neighbors/extended family. There simply aren’t enough of “them” to go around. And for most people the City person who contacted them would be a stranger. I can’t help but think of the wonderful saying, “Hello I’m from the Government and I’m here to help you.”
Sam, I appreciate your thoughts, but lets use this crisis as an example. My wife and I were without power for a bit less than 36 hours. Due to our own short-sightedness all our telephones are “current” which of course means they all require electricity to operate. How do you expect the City to communicate with us? Walk door-to-door?
What I really want is the City devoting virtually all its resources on getting the services back online as soon as possible.
They can only do so much. As I said, even if the Vets Memorial had power, is it your premise that the City should be communicating with each elderly/disabled person to coordinate their transport? What do you want the City to do if the person doesn’t want to leave their home?
That is our role as friends/neighbors/extended family. There simply aren’t enough of “them” to go around. And for most people the City person who contacted them would be a stranger. I can’t help but think of the wonderful saying, “Hello I’m from the Government and I’m here to help you.”
Sam, one addendum, having the power supply for the contact system not work is a clear failure. I’m not trying to be an apologist, just trying to say that we need to be part of the solution.
Sam, one addendum, having the power supply for the contact system not work is a clear failure. I’m not trying to be an apologist, just trying to say that we need to be part of the solution.
Sam, one addendum, having the power supply for the contact system not work is a clear failure. I’m not trying to be an apologist, just trying to say that we need to be part of the solution.
Sam, one addendum, having the power supply for the contact system not work is a clear failure. I’m not trying to be an apologist, just trying to say that we need to be part of the solution.
Matt:
Don’t misunderstand the point. Clearly the city’s job is not to get the power back on. That PG&Es job.
The city’s job is (A) public safety, (B) Coordination and (C) Communication.
And (B) and (C) clearly impact (A).
My concern is that first we’re not getting the information from the city or PGE about what’s going on. And second, what happens next time when it’s a more serious situation.
At the end of the day, I want my public officials and city government to communicate to the public and to insure the safety and welfare of those citizens who cannot help themselves.
I was in no position to help those less fortunate than myself, I had to look after my family. That’s what I rely on the government to do.
Matt:
Don’t misunderstand the point. Clearly the city’s job is not to get the power back on. That PG&Es job.
The city’s job is (A) public safety, (B) Coordination and (C) Communication.
And (B) and (C) clearly impact (A).
My concern is that first we’re not getting the information from the city or PGE about what’s going on. And second, what happens next time when it’s a more serious situation.
At the end of the day, I want my public officials and city government to communicate to the public and to insure the safety and welfare of those citizens who cannot help themselves.
I was in no position to help those less fortunate than myself, I had to look after my family. That’s what I rely on the government to do.
Matt:
Don’t misunderstand the point. Clearly the city’s job is not to get the power back on. That PG&Es job.
The city’s job is (A) public safety, (B) Coordination and (C) Communication.
And (B) and (C) clearly impact (A).
My concern is that first we’re not getting the information from the city or PGE about what’s going on. And second, what happens next time when it’s a more serious situation.
At the end of the day, I want my public officials and city government to communicate to the public and to insure the safety and welfare of those citizens who cannot help themselves.
I was in no position to help those less fortunate than myself, I had to look after my family. That’s what I rely on the government to do.
Matt:
Don’t misunderstand the point. Clearly the city’s job is not to get the power back on. That PG&Es job.
The city’s job is (A) public safety, (B) Coordination and (C) Communication.
And (B) and (C) clearly impact (A).
My concern is that first we’re not getting the information from the city or PGE about what’s going on. And second, what happens next time when it’s a more serious situation.
At the end of the day, I want my public officials and city government to communicate to the public and to insure the safety and welfare of those citizens who cannot help themselves.
I was in no position to help those less fortunate than myself, I had to look after my family. That’s what I rely on the government to do.
If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.
The Red Cross opened three shelters in Yolo County. Nobody came.
In the thirty years I’ve lived here, this is the second time that I can recall a major storm has caused a power outage of more than 24 hours.
As far as we know, there was no need for shelter. The city and utility crews were doing what they were supposed to be doing: restoring power as fast as they could, and clearing roads and drains.
If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.
The Red Cross opened three shelters in Yolo County. Nobody came.
In the thirty years I’ve lived here, this is the second time that I can recall a major storm has caused a power outage of more than 24 hours.
As far as we know, there was no need for shelter. The city and utility crews were doing what they were supposed to be doing: restoring power as fast as they could, and clearing roads and drains.
If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.
The Red Cross opened three shelters in Yolo County. Nobody came.
In the thirty years I’ve lived here, this is the second time that I can recall a major storm has caused a power outage of more than 24 hours.
As far as we know, there was no need for shelter. The city and utility crews were doing what they were supposed to be doing: restoring power as fast as they could, and clearing roads and drains.
If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.
The Red Cross opened three shelters in Yolo County. Nobody came.
In the thirty years I’ve lived here, this is the second time that I can recall a major storm has caused a power outage of more than 24 hours.
As far as we know, there was no need for shelter. The city and utility crews were doing what they were supposed to be doing: restoring power as fast as they could, and clearing roads and drains.
“If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.”
Obviously the city is not responsible for providing PG&E info. I don’t think that was the point.
“If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.”
Obviously the city is not responsible for providing PG&E info. I don’t think that was the point.
“If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.”
Obviously the city is not responsible for providing PG&E info. I don’t think that was the point.
“If PG&E wasn’t providing information, I’m not sure what the city is supposed to do in the way of communication.”
Obviously the city is not responsible for providing PG&E info. I don’t think that was the point.
“As far as we know, there was no need for shelter.”
What do you mean?
* People who have specific medical needs
* Elderly who need the heat
Are you being dense, Don?
“As far as we know, there was no need for shelter.”
What do you mean?
* People who have specific medical needs
* Elderly who need the heat
Are you being dense, Don?
“As far as we know, there was no need for shelter.”
What do you mean?
* People who have specific medical needs
* Elderly who need the heat
Are you being dense, Don?
“As far as we know, there was no need for shelter.”
What do you mean?
* People who have specific medical needs
* Elderly who need the heat
Are you being dense, Don?
Perhaps after reading all the posts what we SHOULD ask/demand is the city’s appraisal of the handling of the emergency…..with an eye to what might be done to improve the next time. Is there a way that can be aired publically, either on the web or in council? Were the majority of the council still out of town? 🙂
Perhaps after reading all the posts what we SHOULD ask/demand is the city’s appraisal of the handling of the emergency…..with an eye to what might be done to improve the next time. Is there a way that can be aired publically, either on the web or in council? Were the majority of the council still out of town? 🙂
Perhaps after reading all the posts what we SHOULD ask/demand is the city’s appraisal of the handling of the emergency…..with an eye to what might be done to improve the next time. Is there a way that can be aired publically, either on the web or in council? Were the majority of the council still out of town? 🙂
Perhaps after reading all the posts what we SHOULD ask/demand is the city’s appraisal of the handling of the emergency…..with an eye to what might be done to improve the next time. Is there a way that can be aired publically, either on the web or in council? Were the majority of the council still out of town? 🙂
Am I being dense? No.
What exactly, Sam, do you think the city, or anyone, should have been doing in this situation? Was this really that serious of an emergency? I would like to know if there were people whose lives were at risk here.
One of the aspects of getting old is planning ahead for ways to communicate and deal with emergencies, as with my parents during the fires in So Cal last fall. So they have cell phones and medalerts, and neighbors check on each other.
I am utterly baffled by the notion that the city should have been doing anything other than what they were doing. Who in Woodland was going door to door, city employees?
If someone wishes to establish a volunteer system for checking on the elderly and infirm, that would be a wonderful civic contribution.
Am I being dense? No.
What exactly, Sam, do you think the city, or anyone, should have been doing in this situation? Was this really that serious of an emergency? I would like to know if there were people whose lives were at risk here.
One of the aspects of getting old is planning ahead for ways to communicate and deal with emergencies, as with my parents during the fires in So Cal last fall. So they have cell phones and medalerts, and neighbors check on each other.
I am utterly baffled by the notion that the city should have been doing anything other than what they were doing. Who in Woodland was going door to door, city employees?
If someone wishes to establish a volunteer system for checking on the elderly and infirm, that would be a wonderful civic contribution.
Am I being dense? No.
What exactly, Sam, do you think the city, or anyone, should have been doing in this situation? Was this really that serious of an emergency? I would like to know if there were people whose lives were at risk here.
One of the aspects of getting old is planning ahead for ways to communicate and deal with emergencies, as with my parents during the fires in So Cal last fall. So they have cell phones and medalerts, and neighbors check on each other.
I am utterly baffled by the notion that the city should have been doing anything other than what they were doing. Who in Woodland was going door to door, city employees?
If someone wishes to establish a volunteer system for checking on the elderly and infirm, that would be a wonderful civic contribution.
Am I being dense? No.
What exactly, Sam, do you think the city, or anyone, should have been doing in this situation? Was this really that serious of an emergency? I would like to know if there were people whose lives were at risk here.
One of the aspects of getting old is planning ahead for ways to communicate and deal with emergencies, as with my parents during the fires in So Cal last fall. So they have cell phones and medalerts, and neighbors check on each other.
I am utterly baffled by the notion that the city should have been doing anything other than what they were doing. Who in Woodland was going door to door, city employees?
If someone wishes to establish a volunteer system for checking on the elderly and infirm, that would be a wonderful civic contribution.
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
I understand that, Doug. I have elderly parents. Which is why they have ways to communicate in emergencies.
Again: for those of you who are criticizing the city’s response: what do you think they should have been doing?
I understand that, Doug. I have elderly parents. Which is why they have ways to communicate in emergencies.
Again: for those of you who are criticizing the city’s response: what do you think they should have been doing?
I understand that, Doug. I have elderly parents. Which is why they have ways to communicate in emergencies.
Again: for those of you who are criticizing the city’s response: what do you think they should have been doing?
I understand that, Doug. I have elderly parents. Which is why they have ways to communicate in emergencies.
Again: for those of you who are criticizing the city’s response: what do you think they should have been doing?
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
Status: they didn’t have any more information than anyone else.
Shelters: there were none in Davis.
Where to go: in a storm of this magnitude, the best advice is to stay home and wait it out if possible. If you have an emergency, call 911. On your cell phone, if necessary. Assuming the cell service isn’t out.
In general, having emergency information and planning advice from local government is obviously of use. It could be very useful for a registry of at-risk seniors to be established, some kind of volunteer system for contacting them.
But in an emergency, most preparedness begins at home: have adequate water, have alternative communication, have blankets, etc. Help your elderly and disabled family members and neighbors. Nothing is foolproof. But I do not get the ‘blame the government’ tone here.
Status: they didn’t have any more information than anyone else.
Shelters: there were none in Davis.
Where to go: in a storm of this magnitude, the best advice is to stay home and wait it out if possible. If you have an emergency, call 911. On your cell phone, if necessary. Assuming the cell service isn’t out.
In general, having emergency information and planning advice from local government is obviously of use. It could be very useful for a registry of at-risk seniors to be established, some kind of volunteer system for contacting them.
But in an emergency, most preparedness begins at home: have adequate water, have alternative communication, have blankets, etc. Help your elderly and disabled family members and neighbors. Nothing is foolproof. But I do not get the ‘blame the government’ tone here.
Status: they didn’t have any more information than anyone else.
Shelters: there were none in Davis.
Where to go: in a storm of this magnitude, the best advice is to stay home and wait it out if possible. If you have an emergency, call 911. On your cell phone, if necessary. Assuming the cell service isn’t out.
In general, having emergency information and planning advice from local government is obviously of use. It could be very useful for a registry of at-risk seniors to be established, some kind of volunteer system for contacting them.
But in an emergency, most preparedness begins at home: have adequate water, have alternative communication, have blankets, etc. Help your elderly and disabled family members and neighbors. Nothing is foolproof. But I do not get the ‘blame the government’ tone here.
Status: they didn’t have any more information than anyone else.
Shelters: there were none in Davis.
Where to go: in a storm of this magnitude, the best advice is to stay home and wait it out if possible. If you have an emergency, call 911. On your cell phone, if necessary. Assuming the cell service isn’t out.
In general, having emergency information and planning advice from local government is obviously of use. It could be very useful for a registry of at-risk seniors to be established, some kind of volunteer system for contacting them.
But in an emergency, most preparedness begins at home: have adequate water, have alternative communication, have blankets, etc. Help your elderly and disabled family members and neighbors. Nothing is foolproof. But I do not get the ‘blame the government’ tone here.
Don,
With all due respect your comment / question asking what the city could have done makes me ask: “Hasn’t he read people’s suggestions and concerns?”
Please don’t be so quick to jump to the defense of the stastus quo.
The cleanup crews did their job, but the city manager and leaders did a horrible job of communicating to us. There are lots of means to communicate: internet, tv, radio, phone..government channel.
You need to read the blog and comments again. If you don’t see the answer it’s because your are not reading and listening objectively.
Change needs to happen.
Ann
Don,
With all due respect your comment / question asking what the city could have done makes me ask: “Hasn’t he read people’s suggestions and concerns?”
Please don’t be so quick to jump to the defense of the stastus quo.
The cleanup crews did their job, but the city manager and leaders did a horrible job of communicating to us. There are lots of means to communicate: internet, tv, radio, phone..government channel.
You need to read the blog and comments again. If you don’t see the answer it’s because your are not reading and listening objectively.
Change needs to happen.
Ann
Don,
With all due respect your comment / question asking what the city could have done makes me ask: “Hasn’t he read people’s suggestions and concerns?”
Please don’t be so quick to jump to the defense of the stastus quo.
The cleanup crews did their job, but the city manager and leaders did a horrible job of communicating to us. There are lots of means to communicate: internet, tv, radio, phone..government channel.
You need to read the blog and comments again. If you don’t see the answer it’s because your are not reading and listening objectively.
Change needs to happen.
Ann
Don,
With all due respect your comment / question asking what the city could have done makes me ask: “Hasn’t he read people’s suggestions and concerns?”
Please don’t be so quick to jump to the defense of the stastus quo.
The cleanup crews did their job, but the city manager and leaders did a horrible job of communicating to us. There are lots of means to communicate: internet, tv, radio, phone..government channel.
You need to read the blog and comments again. If you don’t see the answer it’s because your are not reading and listening objectively.
Change needs to happen.
Ann
How would the city have communicated, and of what use would it have been?
The city public works offices are right behind my business. Power was out on our part of Fifth Street all day Friday and all night. They could not have updated the web site from there. I don’t know about power at the main City Hall. So unless they upload information off-site, I don’t really know what they could have done, nor which department of the city would have been uploading it, nor how they would have been getting information.
DCTV and KDRT broadcast from the building next to us. That is where programming originates. Power was out to that building. KDRT didn’t get back on the air until mid-day Saturday. Programming on Channel 16, I’m guessing, couldn’t be changed until mid-day Saturday at the earliest.
I suspect the phones at city hall, like my business phones (and Matt’s) are disabled when there is no power, being a phone “system.” And I’m still not understanding the logistics of what is wanted here: reverse phone calls? Some of that was done during the fire emergencies in So Cal, and it could be looked into here. Except that the city’s phones were probably out. A less centralized volunteer system would probably be more effective.
The biggest complaint seems to be PG&E. Unless they are keeping government officials apprised of the situation, we’re all in the dark (pun intended).
How would the city have communicated, and of what use would it have been?
The city public works offices are right behind my business. Power was out on our part of Fifth Street all day Friday and all night. They could not have updated the web site from there. I don’t know about power at the main City Hall. So unless they upload information off-site, I don’t really know what they could have done, nor which department of the city would have been uploading it, nor how they would have been getting information.
DCTV and KDRT broadcast from the building next to us. That is where programming originates. Power was out to that building. KDRT didn’t get back on the air until mid-day Saturday. Programming on Channel 16, I’m guessing, couldn’t be changed until mid-day Saturday at the earliest.
I suspect the phones at city hall, like my business phones (and Matt’s) are disabled when there is no power, being a phone “system.” And I’m still not understanding the logistics of what is wanted here: reverse phone calls? Some of that was done during the fire emergencies in So Cal, and it could be looked into here. Except that the city’s phones were probably out. A less centralized volunteer system would probably be more effective.
The biggest complaint seems to be PG&E. Unless they are keeping government officials apprised of the situation, we’re all in the dark (pun intended).
How would the city have communicated, and of what use would it have been?
The city public works offices are right behind my business. Power was out on our part of Fifth Street all day Friday and all night. They could not have updated the web site from there. I don’t know about power at the main City Hall. So unless they upload information off-site, I don’t really know what they could have done, nor which department of the city would have been uploading it, nor how they would have been getting information.
DCTV and KDRT broadcast from the building next to us. That is where programming originates. Power was out to that building. KDRT didn’t get back on the air until mid-day Saturday. Programming on Channel 16, I’m guessing, couldn’t be changed until mid-day Saturday at the earliest.
I suspect the phones at city hall, like my business phones (and Matt’s) are disabled when there is no power, being a phone “system.” And I’m still not understanding the logistics of what is wanted here: reverse phone calls? Some of that was done during the fire emergencies in So Cal, and it could be looked into here. Except that the city’s phones were probably out. A less centralized volunteer system would probably be more effective.
The biggest complaint seems to be PG&E. Unless they are keeping government officials apprised of the situation, we’re all in the dark (pun intended).
How would the city have communicated, and of what use would it have been?
The city public works offices are right behind my business. Power was out on our part of Fifth Street all day Friday and all night. They could not have updated the web site from there. I don’t know about power at the main City Hall. So unless they upload information off-site, I don’t really know what they could have done, nor which department of the city would have been uploading it, nor how they would have been getting information.
DCTV and KDRT broadcast from the building next to us. That is where programming originates. Power was out to that building. KDRT didn’t get back on the air until mid-day Saturday. Programming on Channel 16, I’m guessing, couldn’t be changed until mid-day Saturday at the earliest.
I suspect the phones at city hall, like my business phones (and Matt’s) are disabled when there is no power, being a phone “system.” And I’m still not understanding the logistics of what is wanted here: reverse phone calls? Some of that was done during the fire emergencies in So Cal, and it could be looked into here. Except that the city’s phones were probably out. A less centralized volunteer system would probably be more effective.
The biggest complaint seems to be PG&E. Unless they are keeping government officials apprised of the situation, we’re all in the dark (pun intended).
Not that long ago the PD had a system in place(“are you okay??” was the name of the program if I recall correctly…)where from the PD a computer called those who signed up for the program to check on them….but as usual that program wasn’t fashionable any longer or some other city dept. needed THAT money more so the program had its funding raided.
And on a related note; you should all be aware that this event(the storm and related “emergencies”) will be trotted out as a reason why WE NEED to tax ourselves even more via the public safety tax some are so clever to be crafting….AND, the signal lights at 5th & L streets have been on 4-way flash for more than 48 hours now and traffic has moved better the past two days than at any other time in recent memory. No tie-ups, no long delays…no sitting and waiting for lights to cycle thru for directions where there is NO traffic but the light changes anyway for the invisible cars. A good rule of thumb is to not encourage the city to get involved in things they are mostly prone to only aggravate. -Fred W
SODA’ite said…
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
As Don said, this was a twice in 30 year event, but lets look at your expectations.
— What proportion of the Davis residents who have diminished capabilities don’t know about the Senior Center, the Vets Memorial and Sutter Davis Hospital as places to go to (or contact).
— One would hope that 911 would have worked better, and steps will have to be taken to ensure that it works better in the future.
— Status? Other than the PG&E supplied repair status, what other status info would you like? Since power-less people have no TV, how would you suggest the City distribute the status info? Channel 16 would have been useless. Website was at best only marginally useful. Modems require power, so connecting to the Internet was unavailable for most people, especially the elderly . . . if they even have a computer.
— Do you want Davis residents to have the City call them? All residents? Only residents at risk? Automated? Human beings making the calls? Davis is one of the highest unlisted telephone numbers cities in the World. Do you want the City to have access to the info from those unlisted numbers? All these questions and more pop to mind. The alternative to get the same info was call 1-800-743-5002 and request a status update call from PG&E.
The resource commitment needed (monetary and manpower) to have a fail-safe version of what you are looking for is not insignificant. Do we want to expend those resources and dollars for a twice in 30 year event? Or do we wnt to galvanize as a community and take care of one another. Some will, like Sam, have their hands full just looking after their own family, but the rest of us should have a list of neighbors whom we will call in this type of event. When we got access to electricity and could get a dial tone, it was very heart-warming that the first sound we heard was the beep-beep-beep of the SBC voicemail system letting us know that people cared about our welefare.
Since we had no telephone we made our calls with our feet.
Not that long ago the PD had a system in place(“are you okay??” was the name of the program if I recall correctly…)where from the PD a computer called those who signed up for the program to check on them….but as usual that program wasn’t fashionable any longer or some other city dept. needed THAT money more so the program had its funding raided.
And on a related note; you should all be aware that this event(the storm and related “emergencies”) will be trotted out as a reason why WE NEED to tax ourselves even more via the public safety tax some are so clever to be crafting….AND, the signal lights at 5th & L streets have been on 4-way flash for more than 48 hours now and traffic has moved better the past two days than at any other time in recent memory. No tie-ups, no long delays…no sitting and waiting for lights to cycle thru for directions where there is NO traffic but the light changes anyway for the invisible cars. A good rule of thumb is to not encourage the city to get involved in things they are mostly prone to only aggravate. -Fred W
SODA’ite said…
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
As Don said, this was a twice in 30 year event, but lets look at your expectations.
— What proportion of the Davis residents who have diminished capabilities don’t know about the Senior Center, the Vets Memorial and Sutter Davis Hospital as places to go to (or contact).
— One would hope that 911 would have worked better, and steps will have to be taken to ensure that it works better in the future.
— Status? Other than the PG&E supplied repair status, what other status info would you like? Since power-less people have no TV, how would you suggest the City distribute the status info? Channel 16 would have been useless. Website was at best only marginally useful. Modems require power, so connecting to the Internet was unavailable for most people, especially the elderly . . . if they even have a computer.
— Do you want Davis residents to have the City call them? All residents? Only residents at risk? Automated? Human beings making the calls? Davis is one of the highest unlisted telephone numbers cities in the World. Do you want the City to have access to the info from those unlisted numbers? All these questions and more pop to mind. The alternative to get the same info was call 1-800-743-5002 and request a status update call from PG&E.
The resource commitment needed (monetary and manpower) to have a fail-safe version of what you are looking for is not insignificant. Do we want to expend those resources and dollars for a twice in 30 year event? Or do we wnt to galvanize as a community and take care of one another. Some will, like Sam, have their hands full just looking after their own family, but the rest of us should have a list of neighbors whom we will call in this type of event. When we got access to electricity and could get a dial tone, it was very heart-warming that the first sound we heard was the beep-beep-beep of the SBC voicemail system letting us know that people cared about our welefare.
Since we had no telephone we made our calls with our feet.
Not that long ago the PD had a system in place(“are you okay??” was the name of the program if I recall correctly…)where from the PD a computer called those who signed up for the program to check on them….but as usual that program wasn’t fashionable any longer or some other city dept. needed THAT money more so the program had its funding raided.
And on a related note; you should all be aware that this event(the storm and related “emergencies”) will be trotted out as a reason why WE NEED to tax ourselves even more via the public safety tax some are so clever to be crafting….AND, the signal lights at 5th & L streets have been on 4-way flash for more than 48 hours now and traffic has moved better the past two days than at any other time in recent memory. No tie-ups, no long delays…no sitting and waiting for lights to cycle thru for directions where there is NO traffic but the light changes anyway for the invisible cars. A good rule of thumb is to not encourage the city to get involved in things they are mostly prone to only aggravate. -Fred W
SODA’ite said…
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
As Don said, this was a twice in 30 year event, but lets look at your expectations.
— What proportion of the Davis residents who have diminished capabilities don’t know about the Senior Center, the Vets Memorial and Sutter Davis Hospital as places to go to (or contact).
— One would hope that 911 would have worked better, and steps will have to be taken to ensure that it works better in the future.
— Status? Other than the PG&E supplied repair status, what other status info would you like? Since power-less people have no TV, how would you suggest the City distribute the status info? Channel 16 would have been useless. Website was at best only marginally useful. Modems require power, so connecting to the Internet was unavailable for most people, especially the elderly . . . if they even have a computer.
— Do you want Davis residents to have the City call them? All residents? Only residents at risk? Automated? Human beings making the calls? Davis is one of the highest unlisted telephone numbers cities in the World. Do you want the City to have access to the info from those unlisted numbers? All these questions and more pop to mind. The alternative to get the same info was call 1-800-743-5002 and request a status update call from PG&E.
The resource commitment needed (monetary and manpower) to have a fail-safe version of what you are looking for is not insignificant. Do we want to expend those resources and dollars for a twice in 30 year event? Or do we wnt to galvanize as a community and take care of one another. Some will, like Sam, have their hands full just looking after their own family, but the rest of us should have a list of neighbors whom we will call in this type of event. When we got access to electricity and could get a dial tone, it was very heart-warming that the first sound we heard was the beep-beep-beep of the SBC voicemail system letting us know that people cared about our welefare.
Since we had no telephone we made our calls with our feet.
Not that long ago the PD had a system in place(“are you okay??” was the name of the program if I recall correctly…)where from the PD a computer called those who signed up for the program to check on them….but as usual that program wasn’t fashionable any longer or some other city dept. needed THAT money more so the program had its funding raided.
And on a related note; you should all be aware that this event(the storm and related “emergencies”) will be trotted out as a reason why WE NEED to tax ourselves even more via the public safety tax some are so clever to be crafting….AND, the signal lights at 5th & L streets have been on 4-way flash for more than 48 hours now and traffic has moved better the past two days than at any other time in recent memory. No tie-ups, no long delays…no sitting and waiting for lights to cycle thru for directions where there is NO traffic but the light changes anyway for the invisible cars. A good rule of thumb is to not encourage the city to get involved in things they are mostly prone to only aggravate. -Fred W
SODA’ite said…
Don,
Would having more communication from the city be an expected and wise move, e.g., status, shelters, where to go for help if needed, etc. especially in this age of city TV, web site, automated voice mails……I would think that would be an expectation…..no?
As Don said, this was a twice in 30 year event, but lets look at your expectations.
— What proportion of the Davis residents who have diminished capabilities don’t know about the Senior Center, the Vets Memorial and Sutter Davis Hospital as places to go to (or contact).
— One would hope that 911 would have worked better, and steps will have to be taken to ensure that it works better in the future.
— Status? Other than the PG&E supplied repair status, what other status info would you like? Since power-less people have no TV, how would you suggest the City distribute the status info? Channel 16 would have been useless. Website was at best only marginally useful. Modems require power, so connecting to the Internet was unavailable for most people, especially the elderly . . . if they even have a computer.
— Do you want Davis residents to have the City call them? All residents? Only residents at risk? Automated? Human beings making the calls? Davis is one of the highest unlisted telephone numbers cities in the World. Do you want the City to have access to the info from those unlisted numbers? All these questions and more pop to mind. The alternative to get the same info was call 1-800-743-5002 and request a status update call from PG&E.
The resource commitment needed (monetary and manpower) to have a fail-safe version of what you are looking for is not insignificant. Do we want to expend those resources and dollars for a twice in 30 year event? Or do we wnt to galvanize as a community and take care of one another. Some will, like Sam, have their hands full just looking after their own family, but the rest of us should have a list of neighbors whom we will call in this type of event. When we got access to electricity and could get a dial tone, it was very heart-warming that the first sound we heard was the beep-beep-beep of the SBC voicemail system letting us know that people cared about our welefare.
Since we had no telephone we made our calls with our feet.
Doug Paul Davis said…
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
David, no one disagrees with your list. The question is how to bring action to bear on those challenges. The number of people in Davis who faced one or more of those challenges far exceeds the number of City employees. However, it does not exceed the number of able-bodied neighbors.
Doug Paul Davis said…
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
David, no one disagrees with your list. The question is how to bring action to bear on those challenges. The number of people in Davis who faced one or more of those challenges far exceeds the number of City employees. However, it does not exceed the number of able-bodied neighbors.
Doug Paul Davis said…
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
David, no one disagrees with your list. The question is how to bring action to bear on those challenges. The number of people in Davis who faced one or more of those challenges far exceeds the number of City employees. However, it does not exceed the number of able-bodied neighbors.
Doug Paul Davis said…
Don:
Any elderly person who is not fully mobile is at risk in such a situation for a wide variety of reasons.
* maneuvering in the dark
* medicine
* other medical needs
* transportation
* heating
David, no one disagrees with your list. The question is how to bring action to bear on those challenges. The number of people in Davis who faced one or more of those challenges far exceeds the number of City employees. However, it does not exceed the number of able-bodied neighbors.
Don,
City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called. Other cities are prepared and Davis was not even though there was advanced warning.
Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.
Don,
City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called. Other cities are prepared and Davis was not even though there was advanced warning.
Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.
Don,
City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called. Other cities are prepared and Davis was not even though there was advanced warning.
Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.
Don,
City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called. Other cities are prepared and Davis was not even though there was advanced warning.
Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.
During a regional emergency, I don’t expect to get information from the municipal government. It would never have occurred to me to look at the city web site. I tend to assume that they are also affected, and don’t expect the city to expend the resources to maintain communication when that is primarily a responsibility of regional government and public utilities during a widespread emergency.
If there is an emergency that merits opening shelters, I expect the state government or the Red Cross to implement that — as, in fact, has been done in Sacramento this evening. If I get to a place that has power, I check broadcast sources that are more likely to still be up: Channels 3, 10, and 13 all gave continuing updates, as best they could, from SMUD and PG&E. All have backup generators or have broadcast towers that were unaffected. The major 50,000 watt radio stations such as KFBK also provide continuous updates.
“City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called.”
Great. What did they tell you?
“Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.”
Nothing like anonymous insults to round out the discussion. But that’s the way it often goes on this blog.
During a regional emergency, I don’t expect to get information from the municipal government. It would never have occurred to me to look at the city web site. I tend to assume that they are also affected, and don’t expect the city to expend the resources to maintain communication when that is primarily a responsibility of regional government and public utilities during a widespread emergency.
If there is an emergency that merits opening shelters, I expect the state government or the Red Cross to implement that — as, in fact, has been done in Sacramento this evening. If I get to a place that has power, I check broadcast sources that are more likely to still be up: Channels 3, 10, and 13 all gave continuing updates, as best they could, from SMUD and PG&E. All have backup generators or have broadcast towers that were unaffected. The major 50,000 watt radio stations such as KFBK also provide continuous updates.
“City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called.”
Great. What did they tell you?
“Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.”
Nothing like anonymous insults to round out the discussion. But that’s the way it often goes on this blog.
During a regional emergency, I don’t expect to get information from the municipal government. It would never have occurred to me to look at the city web site. I tend to assume that they are also affected, and don’t expect the city to expend the resources to maintain communication when that is primarily a responsibility of regional government and public utilities during a widespread emergency.
If there is an emergency that merits opening shelters, I expect the state government or the Red Cross to implement that — as, in fact, has been done in Sacramento this evening. If I get to a place that has power, I check broadcast sources that are more likely to still be up: Channels 3, 10, and 13 all gave continuing updates, as best they could, from SMUD and PG&E. All have backup generators or have broadcast towers that were unaffected. The major 50,000 watt radio stations such as KFBK also provide continuous updates.
“City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called.”
Great. What did they tell you?
“Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.”
Nothing like anonymous insults to round out the discussion. But that’s the way it often goes on this blog.
During a regional emergency, I don’t expect to get information from the municipal government. It would never have occurred to me to look at the city web site. I tend to assume that they are also affected, and don’t expect the city to expend the resources to maintain communication when that is primarily a responsibility of regional government and public utilities during a widespread emergency.
If there is an emergency that merits opening shelters, I expect the state government or the Red Cross to implement that — as, in fact, has been done in Sacramento this evening. If I get to a place that has power, I check broadcast sources that are more likely to still be up: Channels 3, 10, and 13 all gave continuing updates, as best they could, from SMUD and PG&E. All have backup generators or have broadcast towers that were unaffected. The major 50,000 watt radio stations such as KFBK also provide continuous updates.
“City Hall was open. The phones were working. I know because I called.”
Great. What did they tell you?
“Please stop playing ignorant. It is unbecoming.”
Nothing like anonymous insults to round out the discussion. But that’s the way it often goes on this blog.
from KCRA.com:
“Davis Warming Shelter: The Teen Center located at 3rd and B st in Davis will be open until 5 p.m. Red Cross and city volunteers are staffing the shelter. For any questions, call 530-747-5400. They are asking that neighbors or friends to pass along this info to those without power.”
from KCRA.com:
“Davis Warming Shelter: The Teen Center located at 3rd and B st in Davis will be open until 5 p.m. Red Cross and city volunteers are staffing the shelter. For any questions, call 530-747-5400. They are asking that neighbors or friends to pass along this info to those without power.”
from KCRA.com:
“Davis Warming Shelter: The Teen Center located at 3rd and B st in Davis will be open until 5 p.m. Red Cross and city volunteers are staffing the shelter. For any questions, call 530-747-5400. They are asking that neighbors or friends to pass along this info to those without power.”
from KCRA.com:
“Davis Warming Shelter: The Teen Center located at 3rd and B st in Davis will be open until 5 p.m. Red Cross and city volunteers are staffing the shelter. For any questions, call 530-747-5400. They are asking that neighbors or friends to pass along this info to those without power.”
I called PG&E and requested a status update. I did not receive any information.
It was really just an inconvenience. However, it shows that the community is horribly unprepared for a bigger disaster. Didn’t the Fire Department recently report to the City Council recently on just this very subject?
The point is that no specific and useful information was provided by any means by PG&E, it seems – not through the City, not on its phone lines, not through the media for the most part. Even PG&E’s spokespersons were quoted in the paper as finding that to be unexpected.
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
I called PG&E and requested a status update. I did not receive any information.
It was really just an inconvenience. However, it shows that the community is horribly unprepared for a bigger disaster. Didn’t the Fire Department recently report to the City Council recently on just this very subject?
The point is that no specific and useful information was provided by any means by PG&E, it seems – not through the City, not on its phone lines, not through the media for the most part. Even PG&E’s spokespersons were quoted in the paper as finding that to be unexpected.
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
I called PG&E and requested a status update. I did not receive any information.
It was really just an inconvenience. However, it shows that the community is horribly unprepared for a bigger disaster. Didn’t the Fire Department recently report to the City Council recently on just this very subject?
The point is that no specific and useful information was provided by any means by PG&E, it seems – not through the City, not on its phone lines, not through the media for the most part. Even PG&E’s spokespersons were quoted in the paper as finding that to be unexpected.
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
I called PG&E and requested a status update. I did not receive any information.
It was really just an inconvenience. However, it shows that the community is horribly unprepared for a bigger disaster. Didn’t the Fire Department recently report to the City Council recently on just this very subject?
The point is that no specific and useful information was provided by any means by PG&E, it seems – not through the City, not on its phone lines, not through the media for the most part. Even PG&E’s spokespersons were quoted in the paper as finding that to be unexpected.
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
Hi, a quick comment: DCTV Channel 15 and Educational Access Channel 17 are still off the air due to a fiber link technical problem. Most likely this is related to the storm.
KDRT went off the air Friday morning due to the power outage on 5th street. The batteries also ran out about 2 hours later.
We will be looking into ways to power up our transmitter, microphones, and phone system in case of an extended emergency power outage, as the one we experienced. If you’d like to donate to these efforts, please visit “http://www.kdrt.org/Donate” and make a note that you’d like your money earmarked for a backup generator.
I’m sure the city and other agencies will be analyzing what they could have done better, but in emergencies things happen so quick that it is hard to keep current.
Hopefully in the future KDRT can help in this effort- first by staying on the air and second if people call in to report problems.
Hi, a quick comment: DCTV Channel 15 and Educational Access Channel 17 are still off the air due to a fiber link technical problem. Most likely this is related to the storm.
KDRT went off the air Friday morning due to the power outage on 5th street. The batteries also ran out about 2 hours later.
We will be looking into ways to power up our transmitter, microphones, and phone system in case of an extended emergency power outage, as the one we experienced. If you’d like to donate to these efforts, please visit “http://www.kdrt.org/Donate” and make a note that you’d like your money earmarked for a backup generator.
I’m sure the city and other agencies will be analyzing what they could have done better, but in emergencies things happen so quick that it is hard to keep current.
Hopefully in the future KDRT can help in this effort- first by staying on the air and second if people call in to report problems.
Hi, a quick comment: DCTV Channel 15 and Educational Access Channel 17 are still off the air due to a fiber link technical problem. Most likely this is related to the storm.
KDRT went off the air Friday morning due to the power outage on 5th street. The batteries also ran out about 2 hours later.
We will be looking into ways to power up our transmitter, microphones, and phone system in case of an extended emergency power outage, as the one we experienced. If you’d like to donate to these efforts, please visit “http://www.kdrt.org/Donate” and make a note that you’d like your money earmarked for a backup generator.
I’m sure the city and other agencies will be analyzing what they could have done better, but in emergencies things happen so quick that it is hard to keep current.
Hopefully in the future KDRT can help in this effort- first by staying on the air and second if people call in to report problems.
Hi, a quick comment: DCTV Channel 15 and Educational Access Channel 17 are still off the air due to a fiber link technical problem. Most likely this is related to the storm.
KDRT went off the air Friday morning due to the power outage on 5th street. The batteries also ran out about 2 hours later.
We will be looking into ways to power up our transmitter, microphones, and phone system in case of an extended emergency power outage, as the one we experienced. If you’d like to donate to these efforts, please visit “http://www.kdrt.org/Donate” and make a note that you’d like your money earmarked for a backup generator.
I’m sure the city and other agencies will be analyzing what they could have done better, but in emergencies things happen so quick that it is hard to keep current.
Hopefully in the future KDRT can help in this effort- first by staying on the air and second if people call in to report problems.
I just spoke with some friends in east Davis who have been without power since early Friday morning. They still have no power, no calls from PG & E and no info. from the city. They went to a downtown coffee shop to charge their cell phones. They are very frustrated at the city and lack of communication.
I just spoke with some friends in east Davis who have been without power since early Friday morning. They still have no power, no calls from PG & E and no info. from the city. They went to a downtown coffee shop to charge their cell phones. They are very frustrated at the city and lack of communication.
I just spoke with some friends in east Davis who have been without power since early Friday morning. They still have no power, no calls from PG & E and no info. from the city. They went to a downtown coffee shop to charge their cell phones. They are very frustrated at the city and lack of communication.
I just spoke with some friends in east Davis who have been without power since early Friday morning. They still have no power, no calls from PG & E and no info. from the city. They went to a downtown coffee shop to charge their cell phones. They are very frustrated at the city and lack of communication.
Sharla said…
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
Completely agreed.
Sharla said…
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
Completely agreed.
Sharla said…
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
Completely agreed.
Sharla said…
Now that we had a mini-natural disaster, it would be good to discuss how to be better prepared for the next one or a bigger one.
Completely agreed.
DPD – As usual, thank you for being ahead of the ball and getting the word out on what is and isn’t being done and what needs to be improved. The city should thank YOU for your services.
Anyways, I want to let you know that we stayed in a local hotel and were watching the news and the local government channel to see if there was any updated information provided. There was none. We also had wireless connection and were able to check the city’s website and there was no updated information.
Davis has a lot of catching up to do. Cities similar to Davis are better prepared for emergencies. For such an educated community we are so behind the times in so many ways. It’s quite embarrassing.
DPD – As usual, thank you for being ahead of the ball and getting the word out on what is and isn’t being done and what needs to be improved. The city should thank YOU for your services.
Anyways, I want to let you know that we stayed in a local hotel and were watching the news and the local government channel to see if there was any updated information provided. There was none. We also had wireless connection and were able to check the city’s website and there was no updated information.
Davis has a lot of catching up to do. Cities similar to Davis are better prepared for emergencies. For such an educated community we are so behind the times in so many ways. It’s quite embarrassing.
DPD – As usual, thank you for being ahead of the ball and getting the word out on what is and isn’t being done and what needs to be improved. The city should thank YOU for your services.
Anyways, I want to let you know that we stayed in a local hotel and were watching the news and the local government channel to see if there was any updated information provided. There was none. We also had wireless connection and were able to check the city’s website and there was no updated information.
Davis has a lot of catching up to do. Cities similar to Davis are better prepared for emergencies. For such an educated community we are so behind the times in so many ways. It’s quite embarrassing.
DPD – As usual, thank you for being ahead of the ball and getting the word out on what is and isn’t being done and what needs to be improved. The city should thank YOU for your services.
Anyways, I want to let you know that we stayed in a local hotel and were watching the news and the local government channel to see if there was any updated information provided. There was none. We also had wireless connection and were able to check the city’s website and there was no updated information.
Davis has a lot of catching up to do. Cities similar to Davis are better prepared for emergencies. For such an educated community we are so behind the times in so many ways. It’s quite embarrassing.
Other cities have Emergency Preparedness Plans with their City Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs.
They have had them for the last couple of years or longer and Davis is barely getting caught up to speed and providing training during the month of March this year.
Even without this in place they could have provided the most basic up to date information. Also, knowing that the Enterprise was updating information the city manager and city council should have kept in contact with the Enterprise providing them information to provide us, the residents.
Furthermore, if city hall was open, which it was because I also called, they could have updated their website.
I’m not going to sing Cumbaya (?) and sing the praises of how this was handled, because there was a lot that was not done AND it is still not over. There are still people without power right now.
We too have friends that are ok but without power. They too have not received any information from PG&E or the city.
I hope the city doesn’t start giving out proclamations to PG&E and their staff for the “wonderful” job they have not provided.
The only ones that have done a reasonable job are the ones who have been cleaning up the trees and branches around town. In other words they are doing their job. What about council? What about the city manager?
Are schools safe for children to attend tomorrow?
Again, lack of information. Sorry I don’t agree with you Don. They screwed this one up big time.
Other cities have Emergency Preparedness Plans with their City Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs.
They have had them for the last couple of years or longer and Davis is barely getting caught up to speed and providing training during the month of March this year.
Even without this in place they could have provided the most basic up to date information. Also, knowing that the Enterprise was updating information the city manager and city council should have kept in contact with the Enterprise providing them information to provide us, the residents.
Furthermore, if city hall was open, which it was because I also called, they could have updated their website.
I’m not going to sing Cumbaya (?) and sing the praises of how this was handled, because there was a lot that was not done AND it is still not over. There are still people without power right now.
We too have friends that are ok but without power. They too have not received any information from PG&E or the city.
I hope the city doesn’t start giving out proclamations to PG&E and their staff for the “wonderful” job they have not provided.
The only ones that have done a reasonable job are the ones who have been cleaning up the trees and branches around town. In other words they are doing their job. What about council? What about the city manager?
Are schools safe for children to attend tomorrow?
Again, lack of information. Sorry I don’t agree with you Don. They screwed this one up big time.
Other cities have Emergency Preparedness Plans with their City Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs.
They have had them for the last couple of years or longer and Davis is barely getting caught up to speed and providing training during the month of March this year.
Even without this in place they could have provided the most basic up to date information. Also, knowing that the Enterprise was updating information the city manager and city council should have kept in contact with the Enterprise providing them information to provide us, the residents.
Furthermore, if city hall was open, which it was because I also called, they could have updated their website.
I’m not going to sing Cumbaya (?) and sing the praises of how this was handled, because there was a lot that was not done AND it is still not over. There are still people without power right now.
We too have friends that are ok but without power. They too have not received any information from PG&E or the city.
I hope the city doesn’t start giving out proclamations to PG&E and their staff for the “wonderful” job they have not provided.
The only ones that have done a reasonable job are the ones who have been cleaning up the trees and branches around town. In other words they are doing their job. What about council? What about the city manager?
Are schools safe for children to attend tomorrow?
Again, lack of information. Sorry I don’t agree with you Don. They screwed this one up big time.
Other cities have Emergency Preparedness Plans with their City Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) programs.
They have had them for the last couple of years or longer and Davis is barely getting caught up to speed and providing training during the month of March this year.
Even without this in place they could have provided the most basic up to date information. Also, knowing that the Enterprise was updating information the city manager and city council should have kept in contact with the Enterprise providing them information to provide us, the residents.
Furthermore, if city hall was open, which it was because I also called, they could have updated their website.
I’m not going to sing Cumbaya (?) and sing the praises of how this was handled, because there was a lot that was not done AND it is still not over. There are still people without power right now.
We too have friends that are ok but without power. They too have not received any information from PG&E or the city.
I hope the city doesn’t start giving out proclamations to PG&E and their staff for the “wonderful” job they have not provided.
The only ones that have done a reasonable job are the ones who have been cleaning up the trees and branches around town. In other words they are doing their job. What about council? What about the city manager?
Are schools safe for children to attend tomorrow?
Again, lack of information. Sorry I don’t agree with you Don. They screwed this one up big time.
perhaps one thing the city could do better (we’ll leave PG&E’s predictable incompetence and disinterest in customer service for another thread) would be to announce the location of shelters and other emergency-related information in public forae before the predictable disaster.
they did a good job of anticipating cleanup issues, and staffed accordingly. giving people a better heads-up as to what to do if things come unglued might make a lot of these things easier to manage.
the existence of congenial neighborly relations is itself a good defense against disaster, as matt williams pointed out above. that’s easier when you’ve lived in one spot for a while, and i suppose things like the block parties might be of some small assistance in planting seeds of mutual aid. in an ideal setting, the city government and neighbors would work in concert, to deal with whatever happened, but it’s something that’s worth practicing or discussing ahead of time, rather than just assuming that people will figure stuff out without information or assistance.
having the city store generators in places related to critical services might not be a bad idea either. the 911 system and communications ought to be as stable as humanly possible.
while this might have been a bigger than average storm, it was not all that much out of my experience. one of the reasons why we have a government is to coordinate response to disasters. they got some of it right, but this is probably a good opportunity to look carefully over what did not work. not all disasters telegraph their blows by several days, after all.
perhaps one thing the city could do better (we’ll leave PG&E’s predictable incompetence and disinterest in customer service for another thread) would be to announce the location of shelters and other emergency-related information in public forae before the predictable disaster.
they did a good job of anticipating cleanup issues, and staffed accordingly. giving people a better heads-up as to what to do if things come unglued might make a lot of these things easier to manage.
the existence of congenial neighborly relations is itself a good defense against disaster, as matt williams pointed out above. that’s easier when you’ve lived in one spot for a while, and i suppose things like the block parties might be of some small assistance in planting seeds of mutual aid. in an ideal setting, the city government and neighbors would work in concert, to deal with whatever happened, but it’s something that’s worth practicing or discussing ahead of time, rather than just assuming that people will figure stuff out without information or assistance.
having the city store generators in places related to critical services might not be a bad idea either. the 911 system and communications ought to be as stable as humanly possible.
while this might have been a bigger than average storm, it was not all that much out of my experience. one of the reasons why we have a government is to coordinate response to disasters. they got some of it right, but this is probably a good opportunity to look carefully over what did not work. not all disasters telegraph their blows by several days, after all.
perhaps one thing the city could do better (we’ll leave PG&E’s predictable incompetence and disinterest in customer service for another thread) would be to announce the location of shelters and other emergency-related information in public forae before the predictable disaster.
they did a good job of anticipating cleanup issues, and staffed accordingly. giving people a better heads-up as to what to do if things come unglued might make a lot of these things easier to manage.
the existence of congenial neighborly relations is itself a good defense against disaster, as matt williams pointed out above. that’s easier when you’ve lived in one spot for a while, and i suppose things like the block parties might be of some small assistance in planting seeds of mutual aid. in an ideal setting, the city government and neighbors would work in concert, to deal with whatever happened, but it’s something that’s worth practicing or discussing ahead of time, rather than just assuming that people will figure stuff out without information or assistance.
having the city store generators in places related to critical services might not be a bad idea either. the 911 system and communications ought to be as stable as humanly possible.
while this might have been a bigger than average storm, it was not all that much out of my experience. one of the reasons why we have a government is to coordinate response to disasters. they got some of it right, but this is probably a good opportunity to look carefully over what did not work. not all disasters telegraph their blows by several days, after all.
perhaps one thing the city could do better (we’ll leave PG&E’s predictable incompetence and disinterest in customer service for another thread) would be to announce the location of shelters and other emergency-related information in public forae before the predictable disaster.
they did a good job of anticipating cleanup issues, and staffed accordingly. giving people a better heads-up as to what to do if things come unglued might make a lot of these things easier to manage.
the existence of congenial neighborly relations is itself a good defense against disaster, as matt williams pointed out above. that’s easier when you’ve lived in one spot for a while, and i suppose things like the block parties might be of some small assistance in planting seeds of mutual aid. in an ideal setting, the city government and neighbors would work in concert, to deal with whatever happened, but it’s something that’s worth practicing or discussing ahead of time, rather than just assuming that people will figure stuff out without information or assistance.
having the city store generators in places related to critical services might not be a bad idea either. the 911 system and communications ought to be as stable as humanly possible.
while this might have been a bigger than average storm, it was not all that much out of my experience. one of the reasons why we have a government is to coordinate response to disasters. they got some of it right, but this is probably a good opportunity to look carefully over what did not work. not all disasters telegraph their blows by several days, after all.
I’m not sure why you have to wait for PG&E to do something.
The people across the street lost power so I ran an extension cord over there and gave them some of mine.
There were large broken branches in the street so I cut them with my chain saw and moved them.
An elderly woman needed help with her downspouts so I cleared them.
I cleaned the storm drain nearest to my house.
That took a couple of hours. When I was done I threw my wet clothes in the washer, put on a new pair of dry socks, ate a large bowl of soup and finally sat down to read the latest on the Yolo gang injunction.
No Problem!
I’m not sure why you have to wait for PG&E to do something.
The people across the street lost power so I ran an extension cord over there and gave them some of mine.
There were large broken branches in the street so I cut them with my chain saw and moved them.
An elderly woman needed help with her downspouts so I cleared them.
I cleaned the storm drain nearest to my house.
That took a couple of hours. When I was done I threw my wet clothes in the washer, put on a new pair of dry socks, ate a large bowl of soup and finally sat down to read the latest on the Yolo gang injunction.
No Problem!
I’m not sure why you have to wait for PG&E to do something.
The people across the street lost power so I ran an extension cord over there and gave them some of mine.
There were large broken branches in the street so I cut them with my chain saw and moved them.
An elderly woman needed help with her downspouts so I cleared them.
I cleaned the storm drain nearest to my house.
That took a couple of hours. When I was done I threw my wet clothes in the washer, put on a new pair of dry socks, ate a large bowl of soup and finally sat down to read the latest on the Yolo gang injunction.
No Problem!
I’m not sure why you have to wait for PG&E to do something.
The people across the street lost power so I ran an extension cord over there and gave them some of mine.
There were large broken branches in the street so I cut them with my chain saw and moved them.
An elderly woman needed help with her downspouts so I cleared them.
I cleaned the storm drain nearest to my house.
That took a couple of hours. When I was done I threw my wet clothes in the washer, put on a new pair of dry socks, ate a large bowl of soup and finally sat down to read the latest on the Yolo gang injunction.
No Problem!
A bunch of whiney spoiled people. For those of you that have no vision I need to tell you that, things are going to get a lot tougher down the road.
A bunch of whiney spoiled people. For those of you that have no vision I need to tell you that, things are going to get a lot tougher down the road.
A bunch of whiney spoiled people. For those of you that have no vision I need to tell you that, things are going to get a lot tougher down the road.
A bunch of whiney spoiled people. For those of you that have no vision I need to tell you that, things are going to get a lot tougher down the road.
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the poweroutage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the poweroutage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the poweroutage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the poweroutage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
Valerie said…
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the power outage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
Points well taken Valerie; however, it is worth noting that virtually all in home telephones nowadays use electric power in order to come to life. It was a rude awakening to look at the LED display of our telephone base unit and see it blank. When I tried to use the walk around unit, it simply displayed “searching for base.” So there we were … no telephone service as well as no power.
Similarly, the three LED diodes on our Broadband line were dark as coal because the modem also plugs in. So without a modem, dialup was also not an option.
So for those whose laptop battery was powered, whose laptop had an internal modem, and whose laptop owner knew how to use the dialup software, then you could connect until your laptop battery ran out of juice.
How many elderly and/or disabled Davis residents do you think fit into that category?
Valerie said…
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the power outage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
Points well taken Valerie; however, it is worth noting that virtually all in home telephones nowadays use electric power in order to come to life. It was a rude awakening to look at the LED display of our telephone base unit and see it blank. When I tried to use the walk around unit, it simply displayed “searching for base.” So there we were … no telephone service as well as no power.
Similarly, the three LED diodes on our Broadband line were dark as coal because the modem also plugs in. So without a modem, dialup was also not an option.
So for those whose laptop battery was powered, whose laptop had an internal modem, and whose laptop owner knew how to use the dialup software, then you could connect until your laptop battery ran out of juice.
How many elderly and/or disabled Davis residents do you think fit into that category?
Valerie said…
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the power outage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
Points well taken Valerie; however, it is worth noting that virtually all in home telephones nowadays use electric power in order to come to life. It was a rude awakening to look at the LED display of our telephone base unit and see it blank. When I tried to use the walk around unit, it simply displayed “searching for base.” So there we were … no telephone service as well as no power.
Similarly, the three LED diodes on our Broadband line were dark as coal because the modem also plugs in. So without a modem, dialup was also not an option.
So for those whose laptop battery was powered, whose laptop had an internal modem, and whose laptop owner knew how to use the dialup software, then you could connect until your laptop battery ran out of juice.
How many elderly and/or disabled Davis residents do you think fit into that category?
Valerie said…
One thing that seems to be overlooked here in discussions of the usefulness of Internet during the power outage is the widespread ownership these days of laptop computers.
In combination with working phone lines (as in this case, when the power goes out the landline phones are almost always still powered), it is still possible to use the Internet with a laptop, (the main caveat being that in a windstorm or thunderstorm it is possible to get a power surge that could damage your equipment.)
Laptops are near universal among students, academics and those who must travel, attend lots of meetings, or work at home, and even among the “elderly” (including me and others my age).
It is always advisable to have a dialup Internet connection as a backup to your broadband. If you’re really serious about preparedness to keep your computer up during power outages, then the type of battery backup system that will power a large “desktop” computer will run a laptop for hours after the laptop’s battery(s) are exhausted, especially using powersaving features on the laptop.
Points well taken Valerie; however, it is worth noting that virtually all in home telephones nowadays use electric power in order to come to life. It was a rude awakening to look at the LED display of our telephone base unit and see it blank. When I tried to use the walk around unit, it simply displayed “searching for base.” So there we were … no telephone service as well as no power.
Similarly, the three LED diodes on our Broadband line were dark as coal because the modem also plugs in. So without a modem, dialup was also not an option.
So for those whose laptop battery was powered, whose laptop had an internal modem, and whose laptop owner knew how to use the dialup software, then you could connect until your laptop battery ran out of juice.
How many elderly and/or disabled Davis residents do you think fit into that category?
the problem with the laptop-dialup solution is that the local ISP, omsoft, was out of commission due to the power outage. of course, there’s little way to predict what part of town gets knocked out in a situation like this. as it was, i had power, but no internet.
the problem with the laptop-dialup solution is that the local ISP, omsoft, was out of commission due to the power outage. of course, there’s little way to predict what part of town gets knocked out in a situation like this. as it was, i had power, but no internet.
the problem with the laptop-dialup solution is that the local ISP, omsoft, was out of commission due to the power outage. of course, there’s little way to predict what part of town gets knocked out in a situation like this. as it was, i had power, but no internet.
the problem with the laptop-dialup solution is that the local ISP, omsoft, was out of commission due to the power outage. of course, there’s little way to predict what part of town gets knocked out in a situation like this. as it was, i had power, but no internet.
You know Rich Rifkin is right. As soon as he told the police officer that a tree was down in his neighborhood they should have dropped everything and responded to Rich’s request. Most of this page of feedback is from a lot of “Me First” personality’s.
What will you do when a real crisis comes? Whiining about what others did’nt do for you will be like peeing into the wind.
You know Rich Rifkin is right. As soon as he told the police officer that a tree was down in his neighborhood they should have dropped everything and responded to Rich’s request. Most of this page of feedback is from a lot of “Me First” personality’s.
What will you do when a real crisis comes? Whiining about what others did’nt do for you will be like peeing into the wind.
You know Rich Rifkin is right. As soon as he told the police officer that a tree was down in his neighborhood they should have dropped everything and responded to Rich’s request. Most of this page of feedback is from a lot of “Me First” personality’s.
What will you do when a real crisis comes? Whiining about what others did’nt do for you will be like peeing into the wind.
You know Rich Rifkin is right. As soon as he told the police officer that a tree was down in his neighborhood they should have dropped everything and responded to Rich’s request. Most of this page of feedback is from a lot of “Me First” personality’s.
What will you do when a real crisis comes? Whiining about what others did’nt do for you will be like peeing into the wind.