Are you, members of your household, your neighbors, or your staff prepared for potential Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), led by power utilities, Southern California Edison and PG&E? Both utility companies have developed plans to shut down power during critical fire weather in order to reduce the risk of wildfires. It is important to know that the PSPS could lead to multi-day power outages in many areas all over California during periods of extremely hot, dry and/or windy weather.

How long is a PSPS outage expected to last?
​The utility companies say that a PSPS outage will last as long as the potentially dangerous weather conditions exist, plus the amount of time it takes for their workers to inspect and repair their equipment in any affected area(s). They recommend that residents be prepared to endure a power outage lasting 3-5 days.

Are you prepared for a power outage lasting 3-5 days, or more?
​Power outages impact the whole community and can make it difficult for people to meet their basic needs, as well as:

• How will you communicate during those days? Consider having portable solar-power charging stations on hand, walkie talkies, as well as having communication plans prepared to let your loved ones or coworkers know your plans prior to power being shut off. 
• What business plans do you need to have in place during a power outage? Consider preparing automatic away messages for work.
• What basic supplies do you need on hand? Consider storing extra nonperishable food items, toiletries, as well as having cash on hand incase ATMs and other bank services are unavailable. 
• What preparations do you need in place medically? If you have not already done so, and you are eligible, complete a Southern California Edison Medical Baseline Allowance Application. This will not preclude your power being turned off, but will provide you with additional notice about when it will be turned off. Consider the possibility that you may need to evacuate voluntarily in order to maintain necessary medical practices which require sustained power. 

Further Resources

The Institute originally published this post on June 18, 2013, on the ICTG Blog. 

What happens when a community, a group, an organization, or a family is hurt?  Social Relations theorists suggest that a group responds in similar patterns as a body or a person.  Today, many of our community and faith-based bodies are hurting. Although it is not new to human experience, with the help of social media and mass media, we are more acutely aware of the long-term mental, emotional, and spiritual toll that traumatic events take. We see more clearly that disaster-torn towns and cities cannot be restored simply with hammers and nails.  

For years, though, especially in North America, hammers and nails were the very definition of Long-Term Recovery.  If you were engaged in Long-Term Recovery efforts, then you likely sat on a committee or volunteered with a short-term mission group or donated business assets in efforts to fix facility needs. For years, long-term mental, emotional, or spiritual needs were relegated to professional services, and salved by routine care practices that were singular and for the most part disconnected from one another beyond basic referrals. These practices may meet individual, family, or small group needs. Yet, when community-wide events occur, disaster relief experts are finding that efforts must be more coordinated across public services. Otherwise, towns and cities end up exhausting themselves by duplicating efforts, mis-communicating, and overlooking unmet mental, emotional, and spiritual care needs. ​

Best practices do exist and are emerging for more effective and efficient community-wide care. Law enforcement, emergency management, and therapeutic and social work agencies are making use of trauma-informed education. City and county VOAD (VOLUNTARY ORGANIZATIONS ACTIVE IN DISASTER) groups are coordinating multi-profession communication. Faith leaders are becoming informed, actively involved in, or are leading community-care initiatives. As these kinds of care practices continue to take shape and gain momentum, communities will be skilled in responding to mass trauma events in ways that promote healing and growth.  

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