The very idea makes the mind reel: San Francisco, San Jose, Silicon Valley—all gone dark. The electric-car charging stations, the $500-a-plate sushi restaurants, the rows of workstations at Google, Uber, Facebook, Twitter, and Salesforce—all suddenly unplugged. This summer, blackouts could plunge large swaths of California into darkness—an act of deliberate policy, not equipment failure or operator errors.
How many will die when the power is cut off?
How many will get sick, maybe even die from eating food that spoiled? At home or in a restaurant. You know how thin the margins are in the restaurant business? The restaurant owner or manager may not intend to hurt anyone, but they also cannot afford to throw out food that costs more than their weekly gross receipts. How do you stay in business when you are closed at random times for random lengths of time, and your expenses increase from all the wastage?
What about medications that require refrigerators? Your home supply of Insulin?
The rich and even the middle class can afford a generator. How many working poor can afford one? How many poor can keep their scumbag neighbors from stealing their generator if they buy one? How many will die from Carbon Monoxide created by their own generation? “We kept the generator in the garage so it wouldn’t get stolen.”
For some reason this was not a problem in California for the previous 100 years. What changed?
I was unable to find a cold cool glass of water at the remote mine I did some work at last year.
They lol at me for it being a first world problem. (I had access to water. As well as Coke coffee Gateraid milk tea juice and I think almond milk)
Now California has a different first world problem.
Pass the popcorn
With unreliable intermittent energy, California has now gone 3rd world.
Maybe they were lol at you because you said a cold, cool glass of water.
I was listening to an Internet radio show originating from near San Francisco earlier today and the host talked about that. He mentioned that, because PG & E is bankrupt, there was the possibility that he might not be able to put out a program at times due to prolonged power outages.
This is very worrisome. We are witnessing the breakdown of society. There seems to be a level of carelessness that is incomprehensible. The Republican States are thriving. The Democratic States are not.
The land is not being put to its highest and best use. They are destroying it. Is it in order to rebuilt it? If so, what are the politicians intentions. California is a beautiful state. They need new management fast.
( I agree with your comments elsewhere about the destruction of Canada, it is worrisome, off topic, here)
The stark reality confronting the country is our government employees and elected officials have stopped performing their basic responsibilities in pursuit of power. Or, in blue states, there’s no need to do their jobs since there’s no alternative to Dim governance. While the Dims lead the charge, the Republicans are complicit in unsecured borders, school shootings, exploding homeless populations, self-censoring media, and socialist, identity obsessed universities. With the highly visible end game of Venezuela, what is driving this decline? Who wants power over ignorant peasants? What does that gain one except in the very short term? Is there really some sort of global cabal seeking to take down western civilization? I just don’t understand the benefits of reducing the west to third world standards.
Great points, Anna. I too wonder why does the left want to destroy the greatest civilization the world has ever known. Once the threshold is crossed there is no return to what we have today. No muslim country is worth living in yet our lefties are turning Canada into one. In today’s Sun the politicians are still wondering why Faisal Hussain shot up Danforth, why, why why? It’s because he is a muslim and that is what they do! I ask my lefty friends where are you going to run to when islam takes over. Khomeini executed all the progressives when he took over in Iran as did the communists in Vietnam.
oooooh gawd the number of Times (pun intended) the msm seek the precious ‘motive’.
yo dweeb journalist, the friggin MOTIVE is to cause chaos !!! it begins and ENDS right there !!!
hmmmm. thats odd, no horizontal lines in the captcha.
You HAD Better believe there is a Global Cabal wanting the Destruction of the Western Hemisphere nations – Communism in the Guise of:
Climate Change – Social Justice – Islamization.
Your 3 prongs in the Campaign.
Supporters are pretty much every and any liberal type govt among said Western Hemisphere Nations…DJ Turmp being one of the few who does not buy the BS. Him, Poland, Hungary, Czech Republic and a cpl others… the rest led by Globalists: Trudeau, Macron, May, the imbecile in NZ, and the Grand NAZI Bitch herself, Angela Merkel..again, among many others. Your DEMS are fully invested in this Campaign…as are Canada’s LIberal party. TRAITORS the lot.
Great questions Anna Mac!
Great answers steakman!
Related: I was once an avid follower of the Austrian school of economics, esp. Ludwig von Mises; his great magnum opus Human Action, which I read three times.
On a re-read of H.A. I was suddenly struck by a life altering epiphany. Mises was explaining that if the pols would only listen to Austrian school proposals they would see that their current methods could not achieve their goals. It hit me: OMG Ludwig, but their goals are not the good sound economic governance and higher levels of prosperity that you envision.
Steakman is right about the global cabal and his three prongs are exactly and precisely correct. It also helps one see that, for example, to debate AGW cultists is an exercise in utter futility. Why?! Because it ain’t about the ‘environment’, dummy.
100% correct AM. And it is really important to acknowledge that PG&E is NOT the corporate private enterprise it once was, when it delivered safe, reliable power to N.CA – for generations. It is now an extension of the State government, replete with all the virtue-signaling, politically-correct nonsense which led to the “First Latina *cough cough* CEO” (who immediately resigned prior to the bankruptcy she caused). PG&E is ALL-IN on global warming, “renewables”, and every other inefficient, expensive, boutique energy source imaginable. The CAPUC is also a corrupt, leftist, group who punish ratepayers routinely in the interest of destroying safe, reliable, fossil-fuel power sources. The regulator of PG&E is just another arm of the supermajority leftist CA political cabal. As a result, the ratepaying energy consumers of CA are being systematically fleeced (and even killed) by an unholy alliance of quasi-governmental actors. This is what happens when the State is given dominion over the means of energy generation.
The ONLY reason given for these horrific fires are EXTREME weather (aka global warming) and/or poor forestry management. But neither of these “causes” are entirely correct. The primary culprit for these horrific PG&E induced conflagrations? Deferred maintenance. Poor maintenance. For the last 25 years, I have been barraged by PG&E advertisements. PG&E virtue-signaling “public service” advertising telling me how “safe” PG&E operates (after the San Bruno gas explosion). They also “advertise” about how many people of color work for them. And of course, extolling the virtue of their myriad “green” energy programs. Inotherwords, PG&E has used ratepayer fees for Public Relations instead of infrastructure maintenance. These spending decisions come from the top … CEO level and endorsed by the PUC. The fact is … that PG&E are NOT providing the necessary; inspection, maintenance, and replacement of their aging infrastructure. This is so typical of an incompetently operated business. So typical of a business interested in virtue signaling and public relations over their core mission – delivery of safe, affordable, reliable, energy.
PG&E’s books need to be opened to public scrutiny to determine just how much ratepayer $$ is being spent on useless, unnecessary, nonsense, and not on maintenance. PG&E needs to be returned to its core mission, and all the other politically-correct, and “green” nonsense stripped-away.
If Silicon Valley has a blackout, we should send them a written letter by post, asking them how does it feel to be shadow banned, to be suddenly de-platformed, to exist but not be able to be seen by others?
I assure you, and the author of this nonsensical article … that Silicon Valley is NOT going to have their power shut off. No, this article is a plant. Planted to make you ‘believe’ that Silicon Valley elites are going to ‘suffer’ just like all the rubes in the hinterlands. Rubbish. Silicon Valley have far too much political ‘juice’ to ever see their electrical ‘juice’ shut off.
I fully expect the companies in Silicon Valley have multiple back-up sources of power in case of an outage (i.e. diesel generators).
That would be my thinking as well. With all the servers and important equipment and software and customer data bases to exploit, you can bet they are prepared for a power out. But perhaps not an electromagnetic pulse from … say …. a high altitude nuclear explosion … which several countries are now capable of doing … I think … Some thing like that could throw us back into the stone age.
I mentioned this a few days ago in another thread. My feeling is that the probability of a massive power failure from a grid that is de-stabilized by less reliable green sources is a greater threat to our well being than the imagined ‘climate emergency’ we are currently facing.
This will be the wake-up call that finally knock sense into the general population.
Not just the power generation facilities, but also the distribution facilities are threatened by these instabilities. And there are other factors to worry about too.
More on the massive power failure in South America last Sunday:
Trust in single power line played role in Argentine outage
Lets hope it does not happen in the dead of winter when it is -30.
A new, lucrative business opportunity might be in mobile, portable emergency generators. From large units in semi-trucks to small home generators. Trust me, once the power goes out for more than a couple of hours you’ll pretty much be able to name your price for delivery, rental, installation and operation. Uber Electricity.
LC: Ya Beat me to the punch..!!
Should be brisk business Im thinking…
Besides a generator, people in places with frequent outages might think of having an old camper around. Our modest sized camper trailer used for summer trips to campgrounds has a bathroom and showertub. It has propane heat, stove/oven and refrigerator. Also serves as a convenient little home in case of extended power outages.
Like the sound of that. A good Plan B.
And here in CA … the CAGW-obsessed supermajority leftist Legislature will soon make fossil fuel powered portable generators … illegal. Or will overburden their use with building code regulations. “Power to the people” … is just a slogan from the hippie 1960’s … now all Power resides in the State. And the State will TELL YOU what power you’re allowed.
yep.
for the first time ever I now see tv ads for a fully integrated, automatically ‘kicking in’ feature with lotsa watts
for HOME USE.
its coming and could happen a lot sooner than we think. all it takes as PROVEN dozens of times elsewhere and in the past is that ‘perfect storm’, that ‘murphy’s laws’ sit’n to PLUNGE millions into darkness for . . . . how long next time?
I remember the 2003 blackout, I was on a job using my CORDLESS DRILL and was unawares because of that until driving home thru all the non-functioning street lites. lol !!!
and another thing, because I have tenants that I care very much about, for that reason I *specifically* arranged to have an old, traditional ANALOG telephone being assured repeatedly ti will work during a blackout.
I’m sure you remember the News stories of a storm that occurred in the East Coast in January, 1998.
In ” Stories From The Ice Storm” – Mark Abley
provides a fantastic read about that famous ice storm. The power was out for weeks in some parts of Ontario, Quebec, NB, and New England.
Abley compiles stories about how people from all walks of life suffered under extreme winter conditions without power. Civility went out the window, in some cases.
Anyone who has a nifty little business renting out generators will go bankrupt under a lengthy power loss scenario. In that power outage, otherwise honest people, in desperation, stole generators, right under the owners’ noses, while in use!
The ones who had wood stoves were the ones who saved the day. They fed their families, friends and sometimes strangers.
@ 12 :47 pm your idea works provided that the roads are passable to go buy propane, or one has an abundant supply of propane in situ. A better choice than shelters, though, which can become unbearable. Think Hurricane Katrina.
I want my light bulb!
I want my ” lick-tricity”…
A refundable damage deposit would have to cover the replacement cost of the generator.
Full propane tanks last pretty well, especially if it’s not winter. Around here during a major outage or bad storm roads are passable before power is restored. Of course, we have a 4WD truck that pulls the trailer and quad for hunting so getting around isn’t too difficult. One thing people forget is to have cash. Debit and credit cards are useless at stores during a power outage.
I too like woodstoves.
Yes, cash and batteries!
I was listening to an amateur radio podcast last night and that blackout was mentioned. Hams in Latin America activated their stations provided communications until regular services were restored. They proved once again that amateur radio will always be available in an emergency (that is, a legitimate one, not that contrived “climate” malarkey).
Its California, and should the desert nights get cold, they can always cuddle up to the rattlesnakes.
On the other hand, isn’t it the snake oil salesman who running the show down there?
Cheers
Hans Rupprecht, Commander in Chief
1st Saint Nicolaas Army
Army Group “True North”
The very idea makes the Libtard mind reel. (FIFY) Consequences? What’s that?
It should make hospital care rather sketchy. I wonder how many of them have adequate generating power, ie massive diesel burning power houses and the fuel to run them.
Hospital codes are quite strict, and standby power requirements are robust … including regular testing and maintenance cycles. Too bad PG&E doesn’t hold themselves, and their own infrastructure to those same standards.
Too
Many
People.
Bitching about the Santa Ana winds and wildfires is the same as those assholes who move near the airport and moan about airplanes, or the half-wits who get the riverside home and then, “Oh look dear, its spring time and the river seems to be rising.”
Tough shit.
Hey Kenji, get the f**k out if you can or at least get a genny.
I’ll be surprised if Kenji doesn’t already have generator (and a back-up plan to contend with failure or loss of his generator,) fuel, food, guns and ammo.
There hasn’t been much need for that here in Suburbia … Until! this year. PG&E has already subjected my neighborhood to 2-prolonged power outages. These were “unintentional” and blamed on equipment failure due to EXTREME temperatures (102deg.F). As IF we don’t get a dozen days per year of >100deg.F weather. But that is exactly what the PG&E spokeshole said. CAGW caused our power outage.
Fortunately, I didn’t lose my freezer full of MEAT … but I am now considering installing an inverter and providing for a generator to overcome my State-controlled and operated Utility FAILUREs.
They are only getting what they keep voting for. Not a lot of sympathy.
I agree. But it’s NEVER been my vote. I am a 4th generation Californian, from the era of Reagan, Dukemajian, et.al. Sadly, the beautiful Golden State of my youth has gone full-3rd World. It’s quite disgusting to observe. Only a few more years … then I will be my families 1st generation ex-CAL pat.
Egselent. Der plan is verking perrrfectly.
The take home message is exactly what IPCC’s expert panel on weather said. “This is not so much about weather and climate, but about vulnerability. Population growth, poor planning, poor municipal development and inappropriate management are the culprits.
We should not build inside forests, on scrub mountainsides, in flood plains etc. And we do not manage forest properly. Like many places Alberta’s forests evolved WITH fire. Fire was part of the life cycle and part of orest sustainability. And now we put out fires instead of letting them burn out because there are too many people in the way.
Not unrelated…read yesterday that good medicine, health care and food production has allowed the world’s population to get too big. Buddy is correct.
This has nothing to do with climate crisis. Just too many people living in inappropriate places.
Have a good day.
The first day of summer saw fresh snow on the Livingstone Range in SW Alberta.
The DEAD residents of Paradise are not living in any more ‘dangerous’ a location than the residents of the Lake Tahoe basin. Why has there NEVER been a conflagration like the Paradise Fire in Lake Tahoe? Answer: $$$$ … big $$$$. And political power. The residents of Lake Tahoe have LOTS of money and political power. A wildfire like that which decimated Paradise would destroy multiple $ 1T’s in value in the Tahoe basin. Note: same with all the surrounding ski resorts set on high, windy, ridge lines. So, PG&E maintains the Tahoe electrical infrastructure. Paradise? Meh. Who cares. It all comes down to $$$. Do you honestly believe PG&E doesn’t run actuarial cost-benefit analyses of maintenance costs -vs- potential losses? Of course they do. Sadly, the cost-benefit numbers were not favorable to the “dangerous” Paradise community. Sorry. No maintenance for YOU!
Yep. Yet, dollars to doughnuts, the people who were outraged when they read about the low survival rates of the steerage class on the Titanic when compared to first class…will feel no guilt about the class based treatment of modern expendables, the steerage class of the 21st century. Expendables: rural or from flyover country, blue collar, less formal education, etc. They cannot recognize their own aristocratic mindset. And then fail to understand why the expendables are less enthusiastic about big government.
Expendable deplorables… sad but true. And make no mistake, there were quite a few comments to that effect in response to the deaths in Paradise. Comments along the lines of … “dead people in RED Counties … good!”
I have a gasoline 1000W generator. I also have a shed to put it in to dampen the noise and a ext cord and a patch cord with M-M ends to plug INTO the generator and INTO a convenient O/L in my house.
and before I do that, I switch off the main breaker, and all other brekers except the one with the generator plugged in.
this feeds 110 V into the house to provide light, radio, CD player etc. and the popcorn maker !!!
I learned this trick doing electrician’s assistant work for about 3 – 4 years.
you go girlieman state of CA !!!! looks REAL good on ya !!! echo’s of Enron eh? ha ha ha !!!
I’m not worried about the power going off where the SF/LA swells live. Out here in the agricultural Central Valley is where the ax will fall. Years ago there was a back page Op-Ed in New West about the real two Californias. The true divide isn’t North/South, it’s Costal/Interior. We know exactly where we stand.
Victor Davis Hanson has written and spoken a LOT about Central Valley, where he is a grape farmer.
Or, just maybe…
California’s finest could track down the arsonists who are setting these fires deliberately in populated areas, destroying entire towns to make room for the palaces of the Silicon Valley moguls and blaming it on climate change, and driving the inhabitants out with nothing but the clothes on their backs.
Reminder that only the master class are allowed to live far away from the “diversity” they created in the cesspits of Californian cities. Normal people are expected to go be white somewhere else.
Interesting situation. One would assume that the Ruling Class have made preparations to have power while the rest of the people don’t. However, this is California. The track record for both preparations and acknowledging reality in California really is not that good. They may find that reality can intrude and they cannot wish it away.
Conversely, they may in fact have power while no one else does. That might work for a day or so. But given that after a while things are going to be interesting and California’s residents are closer to barbarism [one could argue that they are there] than most; the locals may start storming the various well lighted equivalents of Versailles.
In either case, they are getting what they voted for good and hard. And I will be amused.
Subotai Bahadur