EXTREME HEAT SPARKS ROLLING OUTAGES ….

EXTREME HEAT SPARKS ROLLING OUTAGES

After a weekend of extreme heat and more high temperatures predicted, the California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issued a statewide four-day flex alert that ended yesterday. A flex alert is a call for voluntary electricity conservation during peak hours to lessen the strain on the state’s grid.

Hundreds of Leisure World residents were intermittently without power in rolling outages due to extreme heat and high electricity demand. In one case on Aug. 13, a downed wire caused an outage that affected 1,917 households from Golden Rain Road on the north, Stearns Road on the south, to Studebaker Road on the east and Seal Beach Boulevard to the west, according to Southern California Edison. As the summer heats up, heavy use of air conditioning can overload power lines and transformers, and high winds can damage power lines. There’s a lot you can do to maximize safety and minimize discomfort before the lights go out, during and afterward.