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Menlo Park residents and city staff gathered on May 11, to brainstorm ways to handle lengthy power outages followed a windy, wet winter that left some areas of the city without power for days.
The Menlo Park group Menlo Park Community Ready (MPC Ready) hosted the community sessions meeting and had 21 attendees, including Menlo Park Fire Protection District Fire Chief Mark Lorenzen, Assistant City Manager Stephen Stolte, Mayor Jen Wolosin and council members Betsy Nash and Maria Doerr.
Residents offered advice on how they dealt with the outages, from lighting the gas stove with matches to taking hot showers to deal with the cold weather from the storm. Some issues didn’t have easy solutions, such as health care equipment that runs on electricity and refrigerators full of groceries that spoiled after the electricity went out.
A presentation showed ways that residents could cope while the power is out, such as using battery-powered fairy lights to light the house or camping stoves to cook, as well as using sleeping bags to stay warm.
“If we’re trying to electrify to save the planet but then the grid goes down … how do we get our needs met?” asked Nancy Larocca Hedley, vice chair of Menlo Park’s Environmental Quality Commission.
One focus of the meeting was the ways that neighbors can help each other during crises, such as one resident who assisted her 90-year-old bedbound neighbors during a multi-day power outage.
Hedley said that her street has a WhatsApp group chat where neighbors can keep each other informed. Lynne Bramlett, an MPC Ready organizer said that neighborhood communication is essential in an emergency.
“There are scholars who study this disaster research showing (that) in a disaster, people are helped by their neighbors,” Bramlett said. “The reality is there won’t be nearly enough first responders.”
Bramlett said that was one of the reasons for the development of MPC Ready, which started in January 2020. Neighbors initially came together to plan disaster preparedness, but ended up providing community support.
Menlo Park city officials say they’re working with MPC Ready and may be collaborating in the future, though it’s uncertain what form that may take. Bramlett said they’re hoping to partner with the city similar to the way Atherton is working with the local emergency preparedness group ADAPT.
For anyone interested in getting involved in disaster preparedness, Bramlett suggests programs such as Red Cross Ready.
The most important thing Menlo Park residents can do is stop voting for politicians who enable destructive policies such as forced electrification and banning generators.
42% of all power in Ca. comes from natural gas. A small but significant amount comes from hydroelectricity. Lake Oroville our state’s largest producer of Hydro elec. was shut down last year due to a lack of water. Sometimes it doesn’t rain, sometimes the Sun doesn’t shine, and sometimes the wind doesn’t blow. Nuclear is being phased out,
With millions of new EV cars coming online, millions of new homes being built, and now a lot of jurisdictions requiring electric appliances only, where do you think that electricity will come from?
I have yet to see any proponents of all-electric provide numbers of where all that electricity will come from. If you eliminate all fossil fuel be prepared to stop charging your car or powering your office, business, stores, airlines, airports, trucking, and homes, 1/2 the time. If you were bothered by the blackouts last summer just imagine it without half the power we had then.
Seriously? We’re down to a WhatsApp chat group for emergency discussions during blackouts.
That’s what we devolved to,
How about keeping the gas flowing until, if, and when electricity can be relied upon? Not the other way around.
“How about keeping the gas flowing until, if, and when electricity can be relied upon? Not the other way around.”
Not to mention getting the grid to a point where it could actually handle the expected added load rather than adding the load with ZERO plan to make the grid capable.
@Joseph “… stop … forced electrification and banning generators.”
I’m not sure this this is the right story for ranting about forced electrification. Maybe, better to rant about a second rate for-profit power provider who gives profits to shareholders rather than invest in first-world infrastructure, and to a Governor who cut a bad deal during bankruptcy, and a regulatory agency that is feckless.
Because the PGE grid is third-worldish in uptime (we went down mid-afternoon several days ago for no reason) we opted to look at a backup system. I considered gas powered generators but ultimately chose a battery.
I’m quite pleased with it. The outage we experienced last week was a non-issue. I’ve found the battery lasts about 18 hours. Together with next day solar, the system eases the pain considerably, and can, in some circumstances, recharge and last for multiple days. We were able to stay up often and mostly comfortably during the many days of outages over the winter.
Of course there’s a question of affordability. For the many fortunate, I heartily recommend a battery backup system, and, one that integrates with your existing solar if you have it.
By storing locally we invest privately, locally, and incrementally in expanding grid capacity. (We may also be provoking wars in autocratic countries that strip mine for rare earth elements, but its tough to get everything right on Earth these days.)
Somewhat disappointed to hear the meeting focused on coping strategies rather than putting pressure on Newsom/PUC/PGE to invest in and create a first world power system with first-world capacity and uptime.
I do not accept PG&E’s performance as “acceptable” and want to see PUC regulate better.
“want to see PUC regulate better.”
Don’t hold your breath. The CPUC is loaded with PG&E toadies and the governor continues to appoint them because he takes so much money from PG&E. As long as PG&E is buying off our elected representatives we will never have a first world electrical system.
PG&E does have a horrible transmission system and it’s true that instead of upgrading it and putting it underground they spent their money giving shareholders dividends and the executives huge bonuses. Now that they want to put it underground they want to raise our rates to cover that cost. Ridiculous. At the same time Menlo Park has a city council where some members want to force everybody off of gas on to a grid that has proven time and time again that it cannot handle the load it currently has let alone the increased load that is expected. Forcing Menlo Park residents off of natural gas is not even close to the answer. If Menlo Park really wants to help protect the environment maybe they could help fund capping the Natural Gas fires burning in countries like Kyrgyzstan, where the “Gates of Hell” fire has released over 3,796,784 tonnes of methane into the atmosphere, according to one study.
People who commented saying that they dealt with the power outages by using matches to light their stove or by taking hot showers to keep warm are only able to do that as long as they have gas in their house. Forcing people to electricity not only raises their energy bills, look at electricity increases over the last 5 years and what PG&E is asking for to fund the undergrounding of the transmission lines, but it makes them vulnerable to power outages where they won’t be able to cook or take hot showers or potentially heat their house.
The comments on this topic represent the overwhelming majority of Bay Area residents that are all environmentalists, but also understand that the “Reach Codes” and 100% Electricity NOW is the “Road to Hell paved with good intentions”! We must maintain a balance of energy sources until is truly reliable & truly “Clean” energy. Wind & Solar cause much more environmental damage at the generating source. Until then, we must allow natural gas pipelines to the homes for key services, including for emergency electricity generators.
Above all, PGE has some of the very highest prices /kwh & /therm. For that we get very unreliable service & the CEO makes > $25M and the CMO makes – $8M!!! This is absolutely unacceptable – but our local leaders are worried more about their personal beliefs than helping/serving the residents/voters!
Let’s make some changes as fast as possible!
@PH: “I’m not sure this this is the right story for ranting about forced electrification.”
Certainly it is the right story, regardless of whether or not it is reasonable to consider a one sentence statement a rant.
Being forced to put all of our home energy eggs in the basket of electricity, which is far less reliable than natural gas, is directly related to the topic at hand.
How long can PG&E keep up with the demand If the population keeps growing? I’ve heard that we can’t have infinite growth of electricity on a finite planet.
@Joseph E. Davis “Certainly it is the right story, regardless of whether or not it is reasonable to consider a one sentence statement a rant. ”
Fair point. The first four posts were about forced electrification so I apologize if I pinned “the rant” energy reference to your single line. I was referring to those posts collectively.
I’ll make my point again.
This story is about coping with outages. Even if there were no forced electrification, there are far too many outages.
There needs to be pressure and a plan to reduce outages, regardless.
Palo Alto has a plan to underground lines. It might take a full century but its a plan. Where is PG&E and where are CPUC regulators when it comes to imposing customer demands for reduced total downtime?
Hello Everyone. We appreciate The Almanac article. The feedback collected was submitted to the City of Menlo Park. We invite the community to learn more about MPC Ready’s efforts to help our community get disaster prepared, neighborhood-by-neighborhood. We aim to inform and support, but we do not prescribe specific approaches such as all electric back-up power supplies.
Our next community meeting/training is Saturday, May 27 at 9 a.m.. Please join Neighbors and MPC Ready for a panel discussion on…When there is no Doctor or Dentist. LOCATION: Trinity Hall, Trinity Church, 330 Ravenswood Avenue, Menlo Park
Panelists will discuss what to stock in first aid kits for the car, home, suitcase, and how to reduce potential medical emergencies while traveling. The meeting will include Q&A, kit examples, refreshments, a raffle and an opportunity to meet neighbors! Panelists: Dr. Vicki Coe, MD, and designer of a first aid bag used locally; Dr. Sandra Leigh Bardas, Doctor of Pharmacy, and member, Federal Disaster Medical Assistance Team and Dr. Karen Weitzel, General Dentist and MPC Ready block preparedness coordinator. FREE and open to the general public. All our welcome.
MPC Ready is a community- and volunteer-based neighborhood-level disaster preparedness organization. Knowing neighbors is THE cornerstone of disaster preparedness. We help residents to build GREAT neighborhoods with social ties and more! We invite you to learn more. Questions? Please contact Lynne Bramlett at (650) 380-3028 or Lynne@mpcready.org We also have a website at https://www.mpcready.org
“where are CPUC regulators when it comes to imposing customer demands for reduced total downtime?”
Bending over for PG&E
Lynne Bramlett – I suggest that you address how to keep a minimum amount of electricity in your home & not review band-aids for when you lose it. Yer we should understand options when we hav no poser, BUT having reliable, affordable. long-lasting emergency backup is the real solution.
Organize a seminar on the battery & emergency generator options & costs as well. In a real emergency you may have NO PG&E service for many days – even weeks!
Cyber Voter. Have you heard of Atherton’s A.D.A.P.T. disaster preparedness group? If not, I suggest you check them out. They have a monthly community meeting on the first Saturday of each month @ 9 AM. https://www.getreadyatherton.org/ The organizers would love to see you at their monthly meetings. A.D.A.P.T. and MPC Ready both focus on building neighborhood/block level disaster preparedness for two weeks or longer. That is an aspect of preparedness that government efforts typically do not focus on meeting. We also recognize that we need a “full” community approach. Meanwhile, we are focused on being part of the solution.
As for your comments about the meeting, it was a joint effort with members of the City of Menlo Park’s Environmental Quality Commission (as private individuals). The meeting was focused on getting attendees to share what they did and to discuss what could work better. It was also focused on helping the City of Menlo Park collect input for its After Action Report on the winter storms/power outages.
That meeting is not the extent of MPC Ready’s efforts to help our community get ready, including at the government level. I also realize that the electrical grid is not ready for a mass move to electrification. I happen to be currently reading: California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric and What It Means for America’s Power Grid by Katherine Blunt.
> having reliable, affordable. long-lasting emergency backup is the real solution
It is unfortunate that our wise leadership has decided to make it illegal to purchase backup generators in a few years. Those are the only affordable and long lasting emergency options.