Residents and businesses in Morro Bay are dealing with the impacts of a PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), with some residents at Silver City Resort saying they have been without electricity since Thursday.
PG&E announced earlier in the week that it was considering a PSPS amid dry and windy conditions to reduce wildfire risk.
Pete Garcia lives at Silver City off Atascadero Road. His sister reached out to KSBY News with concerns about how the shutoff could affect him and others in the community.
I wasn’t concerned for myself. I was concerned for my neighbors because I’m only 67 and I’m a youngster in this area, Garcia said.
Garcia said a notice about the potential shutoff was posted in the mail room, but many of his neighbors were unaware that the power could be turned off. He said some did not realize they had lost power until they woke up Thursday morning.
Since then, Garcia said he has been checking in on neighbors and helping some open their windows to keep cool.
But warmer temperatures are not the only concern.
There’s been a lot of food spoilage. Refrigerators have been off. Things are thawing out, Garcia said.
Resident Helen Burton said she is among those dealing with food that could spoil during the outage.
Well, I didn’t have any place to put my food that was in my freezer or my refrigerator, Burton said. And of course, it can’t last, even though I kept the door shut.
Businesses along Highway 41 near Silver City have also been affected by the shutoff.
The owner of a nearby liquor store, who declined to appear on camera, told KSBY News that the business bought dry ice to help keep items cool. Still, some refrigerated products could be lost.
Garcia said community members have also been using PG&E’s Community Resource Center to charge mobile phones and medical devices.
Burton said she received a bag containing water, a granola bar and a battery to help charge her phone. She was also told outlets were available at the center for people who needed to charge devices.
They had lots of outlets, and I could sit there and charge things if I needed to, Burton said.