Here we go again

[Anonymous 1]

Hahaha, you realize that power can go out no matter where you live right?

But not for days or weeks at a time. Not for a lot of us. I've lived in 3 different states in my lifetime and yes, I've dealt with power outages because of storms, etc. But it's never been for more than a few hours. Never. I can't imagine days without power and if it's not a major natural disaster, I don't think anyone in the US should put up with days or weeks without power.

I think Californians should demand that something be done to make it safe from fires without having to shut off power. I don't know if that means clearing all the underbrush again, or replacing all the electrical lines or what, but damn I wouldn't pay that much to live there and then deal with power outages like this.

People survived for thousands of years without power. No one's going to die if they can't watch TV or play on their tablet for a week or two. That said, unilaterally cutting power from people due to situations that are no fault of their own may be a jerk move, but people need to stop blaming the power companies for the mess that was created by those who are too short-sighted to understand that trees and brush NEED to be cleared from time to time.

Phones and tablets generally aren't the concern. Its people who rely on medical devices, children's educations since schools close, getting gas for cars to get to work, accidents caused by stop lights not working, perishable food spoiling... things like that. And someone did die the last time the power went off because his backup oxygen malfunctioned and his main source relied on electricity.
Sure the trees and brushes need to be cleared but lines need to be maintained as well. This same company was responsible for a gas line explosion because they took the public safety funds we paid to keep us safe and gave it to CEOs and shareholders as bonuses instead. So they do need to accept fault as well.