The T.O. community navigates power outages
With the traffic lights dark and the shopping centers empty, Thousand Oaks looks like a ghost town while residents adapt to life without electricity. Today, our society revolves around technology, and for many families, it is a hardship to live without power.
As a precaution against fires during the harsh wind conditions, Southern California Edison [SCE], the electricity provider for most of Thousand Oaks, shut off power to residents throughout the past two weeks. On Jan. 9, SCE expressed they could not give a definite time to turn the power back on and that they were monitoring the weather carefully, according to the Thousand Oaks “Acorn.” However, they faced criticism from the community, which struggled to navigate the lengthy power outages.
David Newman, the mayor of Thousand Oaks, posted his plan to make conditions safer and more liveable if another power outage occurs on FaceBook. “Although [the] city government has no regulatory authority of SCE, we are working with elected state officials and the League of California Cities on measures to better protect residents,” Newman said.
Meanwhile, residents had to adjust to one of Thousand Oaks’ longest and most extensive power outages yet.
Paola Tun, sophomore, and her family underwent many challenges during the power outages, such as struggling to prepare meals without electricity since they could not refrigerate or cook with gas. Some evenings, her parents searched the city for over an hour to find affordable dinner. “My family is low income, [so we] can’t spend money every single day buying food because we don’t have the money for that,” Tun said. Tun suggested that a community center food drive would help her and those in similar situations feed their families during such times. “I feel helpless,” Tun said.
Although others have expressed appreciation for their teachers’ understanding of their circumstances, Tun feels it would be helpful for teachers to give more time to discuss the topic in class. “Most of my teachers didn’t talk about it,” Tun said. “I don’t know what to do. I have so much homework.”
Similarly, Elliot Johnson, sophomore, had to throw out the food in his fridge, but he could go to his father’s office in Ventura to get supplies. “All our [food] spoiled,” Johnson said. He has an electric heater and could not shower for some days without power. “I hated [being without electricity], every second of it,” Johnson said.
To support each other through the obstacles caused by the power outage, Johnson and his friends commiserate together and share their experiences. “It definitely gives you an appreciation for how our society has come along,” Johnson said.
Aiming to help residents through this uncertain time, Newman announced that the city will push through the Office of Emergency Services to the Public Utilities Commission, supporting new budgeting to fund amenities such as backup generators. “Public safety is an essential mission of government at all levels. We will continue to do our part to keep all residents safe,” Newman said.
