People who rely on electricity at home to keep medications cool or to run medical devices are worried about impending power outages.PG&E’s planned power outages are sparking panic among people with health conditions who rely on electricity to power medical devices at home — devices that help them stay comfortable, or stay alive.
PG&E decided to start cutting power to 800,000 customers in California earlier this week to reduce risks of wildfires amid forecasts of windy, dry weather. It estimates 32,885 customers with medical needs will be affected by the outages. These are households enrolled in the utility’s Nurses went to Home Depot and bought generators for patients on continuous oxygen. They called their medical supplier for backup emergency oxygen tanks that can run without power and were told supplies were already starting to run low because of increased demand related to the outages.Next, they went to Target to buy foam mattresses for patients with bed sores or skin conditions who usually rely on airflow mattresses that must be plugged in to stay inflated and keep air streaming continuously.
“We advised them that they need to put the bed in the most comfortable position for the patient, because once the electricity goes off, they’re not going to be able to reposition that bed for as many days as it’s off,” Baron said.Hospitals don’t anticipate any major interruptions to care because they have emergency generators that keep all critical systems running during an outage.
Hospital officials echoed the recommendation for a generator for people who rely on medical devices at home, as well as rechargeable batteries to run CPAP machines that help people with sleep apnea breathe at night.
KQEDnews I suppose PG&E is sending fossil fueled vehicles in to rescue Tesla & Leaf owners, Huh? With Autogas they would get emissions benefits, and leave at will!!
KQEDnews A California Green New Deal now! It can be done, CA has the fifth largest economy in the world. Tell Sacramento to take over PG&E and enact an oil, gas and mineral severance tax to help fund modernizing the grid and expanding solar & wind power generation with battery storage.
KQEDnews If you medical devices, generators should come with it
KQEDnews PG&E - Profit first, people and safety last
KQEDnews How the hell do we live in a world where power can be cut off for a week in a first world country?!? Maybe actually invest in better equipment rather than pushing the 'solution' to this problem onto the customers
KQEDnews Military budget needs to be cut 25% immediately and then worked to a total of 50% and we would still probably spend the most. Then take that towards infrastructure and other stuff Americans need
KQEDnews As long as everything in this country is privatized people will always die, poor people mostly.
KQEDnews Bust the PG& E Monopoly in CA and switch to Public Utilities. Oregon and Washington have plenty of examples to look at for inspiration.
KQEDnews Anyone who dies because of this is one of many victims of capitalism. While PGE4Me was busy raking in profits for CEOs, their neglect is going to cause the loss of lives and it’s morally reprehensible. Our rapacious ways will not be looked at kindly in the future.
KQEDnews This is why our bills are expensive! Large portion of our bill go toward enriching CEO's! Imagine if they invested in sustainable & renewable energy, our cost would lower and completely drop to zero, while eliminating toxic devastation to our environment and communities! PGE4Me
KQEDnews Invest in burying the lines underground like a lot of Europe has done
KQEDnews As an outsider, can someone explain why the tech giants there still have their power supply?
KQEDnews Please call on GavinNewsom to takeover PGE4Me. Major corporations with large influence over our lives, economy, environment need to be democratically controlled by workers, community stakeholders, economists, scientists through a Board of STAKEholders.
KQEDnews time to nationalize public utilities
KQEDnews This is absolutely punitive action for expecting them to be responsible for their equipment.
KQEDnews “Customers” should come with a disclaimer each time it is said. A hospital is a single “customer.” Each house, 1 “customer.” There are millions of /people/ without power.
KQEDnews PuckJoi lol what
KQEDnews They're doing it because their stock price is tanking, it's the same crap Enron pulled before they fell apart.
KQEDnews How many people will suffer & maybe die due to demoncratic leadership shutting off power to 2million Californian's due to 'PG&E greed and neglect'? Newsom, a donor recipient of PG&E just flipflopped due to public pressure now blames PG&E for what he endorsed 2 days ago.
KQEDnews Once the grid is shut down they may need to ban medical devices.
KQEDnews
UpInTheHills KQEDnews “Reduce wildfires”..? Not buying it. Nope. Someone isn’t paying their bills.
KQEDnews THIS SHOULD BE DECLARED ILLEGAL!!!
KQEDnews Their fire season lasts for months. They really need a better way.
KQEDnews Time to go solar
KQEDnews My power has been out for days. There is no fire risk, just a political power play. Nothing more.
KQEDnews Oh this is brilliant. They may die from man made causes but not from natural ones.
KQEDnews Uhm!! I thought it was climate change who caused the wild fires! No?🤔
KQEDnews Sounds like a strong a case for PGE4Me to provide Solar panels and PowerWalls provided by Tesla to all those affected. If they can't do their duty as a Utility. How much did you pay out to your execs? might want some of that back.
KQEDnews California, how romantic. Homeless, poop and hypodermic needles by candlelight.
KQEDnews soilsandbees
PG&E’s power lines have sparked many catastrophic wildfires in California, including last year’s Camp Fire in Butte County that caused 85 deaths. Here's more on why the utility is shutting down power, and why alternative solutions aren't happening: