Leaving Patients In The Dark | Power Outages In California

How are hospitals, SNFs, and medically fragile patients dealing with California's prolonged power outages? Weigh in, ZPac.

Originally aired live on FB. Incident Report #263

YOUR support makes what we do possible. Join us:

[rchurricane]

Remember these kind of actions the next time you vote.

[ronchrisman]

I live 75 miles from a fire and at 3am a few days ago they shut off our electricity without notice. I live in a senior mobile home park, 300 ft elevation and it was 30 degrees. It was off for 2 days and we froze half to death. I am now sick. We have a 3rd world utility company.

[kileyholmes]

My favorite thing about this video is the fact that nothing is moving in the background... Such a windy day! a portion of my family is without power in California too, completely ridiculous! Thank you for doing a video!

[JennaMonsoon]

As a disabled person who is dependent on medication to survive, This is terrifying and awful. So many do not have any kind of support system.

Of course people are going to die. They are not thinking of the details the same way as disabled individuals do. But we are not ever given a seat at the table or a voice in the discussion. 🤷‍♀️

My partner has SPMS and is becoming wheelchair dependent. He can still sometimes drive. My mother has a memory impairment and no longer drives. My father drives an hour and a half to work one way 4 days a week. We all have pets. When we have fire pre-evac, or we do have to leave due to some other emergency, it has to be very well coordinated. We have a "Go bag." We try to be prepared. Keep the gas tank at least half full since we have no gas station. Rural living, you have to think of all these things.

[bonnieirish]

THE WEATHER IS 100% CREATED ( research )

[suzystone]

Part of a greater design to controlling the masses. Remember that when another outage happens.

[exploringdimensionsall]

Thanks! I have asthma and decided to leave California many years ago, partly due to constant fires in my area. I used to run 3 air filters (powered by electricity) at a time during fire season.

I was visiting my mom in California in late October when I heard about the fires and planned power cuts. I knew I couldn't make it without air filters (powered by electricity) during a period of poor air quality, so I left in 2 days. Many people have absolutely no way of doing that.

Driving out of the Bay Area on my way to see my mom in Chico, I saw that they had closed the Cartinas Bridge and some major highways. Driving out of California, my brother had trouble getting gas near Redding, due to a power outage. Many sick and elderly people, especially those on a budget (probably most) are trapped! THIS IS A HUMAN RIGHTS EMERGENCY!!!

How on earth is PG&E being allowed to get away with this slipshod way of managing cut offs??? Generators should be distributed to those in need! And, no hospital, clinic or public service facility should be allowed to go without power!

[suzannemilligan]

I work as an RN at a small hospital in the Sierra Nevada foothills, and in the last 2 weeks fully 75% of my patients (on tele) were admitted as a direct result of the power outage.

[rizeandshine]

In one week, California, one of the largest economies, populations in the, supposed "modern" world, became a third world country. Seriously, put on your thinking cap... does ANY of this make sense? Especially since the outages do not appear to be preventing fires...

I live in a highly forested state, where there are 80+ mph winds on a regular basis... what about the "windy" cities of Chicago? Wyoming? The Santa Ana winds are a breeze in comparison to these cities, and mine. How are people being warned to evacuate when their power is out, no tv, no Ham radio, no cell battery or cell tower service (since cell towers are not fire proof either)?

How are so many fires starting simultaneously as well as during the wee hours between 1am-4am? C'mon, use your grey matter and think, test, prove what you are being told. I may sound harsh but I am sincerely and extremely concerned for Californians, especially the children, animals and elderly... you know, the innocents who always pay the highest cost for everyone else who justifies murder, war, economic inequality, on their materialist, capitalistic "entitlements."

I wish more people felt "entitled" to the TRUTH instead of stuff and privileged... then maybe we might get somewhere other than burned... literally and figuratively.

[spiritualspinster]

RN here who works in an SNF. When our power has gone out the generator supports life saving equipment but that's about it. We have a big plastic tub full of flashlights available for staff to use as needed. It's a major inconvenience for us but even worse for residents. Light is only available in the hallways. (None in rooms) Only red power outlets work during an outage. Some people require more than the one red outlet per room supplied (semi-private rooms). The outage only lasted for half a day but it created a nightmare for all of us.

[karinhart]

Last January I got a battery power source (yellow box) to be able run my CPAP 4-6 nights (with humidifier turned off) so I could go on a car camping for 5 days in Arizona. It was duel purpose purchase: camping & emergency backup power. It doesn’t use much energy since I got a DC to DC converter from manufacturer. My next purchase is likely to be a 60w folding solar panel to recharge the yellow box.

[r.b.johnson]

I'm hoping everyone on dialysis gets their service.

[TRUMP-qhvh]

Z dawg, at what point do you understand it’s not worth it to live there?

Sell your place and get out, move to a nice place with good air.

much healthier locations out here in the heartland

[brendareed]

Maybe doctors should be required to have a list if all their patients who are at home using medical equipment that is dependent up electricity. When the power is going to get turned off then doctors should supply PG&E with the list so that they can bring generators and hook them up at each house. PG&E should be required to supply power to houses who are medically dependent on power.

[merkinidgit]

In Oklahoma we have advanced emergency response. Following the Murrah Building bombing in Okla City, reporter Connie Chung commented at how surprising it was that *Oklahoma* could launch such a well-organized, effective response to the causalities and devastation. Bitch, we have tornados, ice storms, wildfires...and now earthquakes.

Code blacks are a common thing during "tornado season". We have a code black box in storage, with multiple flashlights, etc., that comes out during warnings. We close the blinds in the rooms and occasionally evacuate the patients on the west side of the unit to the halls on the east side. I've been in several lateral evacs for tornado warnings. One day this past spring, they had THREE codes black. Glad I was off!

[maryburke]

So ZDoggMD.. maybe you should also look into your governor outlawing electricity.. I happened to be visiting the area when the 1st outage happened.. I get bored easy.. so I went with the meals on wheels people to visit those homebound etc..sat with each one took notes on machines they had in their home, medications etc etc.. made some calls and had some things shipped.. ended up getting in arguments over payment.. they kept telling me we're donating every thing and then the guys on the call said hey listen to what we just said . it's free, we're flying it in stat.. what are you fighting about.. LOL..my reply.. simple.. I'm frustrated and I'm use to fighting for patients and I needed a good fight.. these people were afraid.. they had no one in their lives..no one to check in and see they were ok.. did it go smoothly.. not really..we did the best we could.. I got a few neighbors involved to check on them and made an exit route if needed.. packed up a bag for each including meds.. you really can't count on hospitals unless it's really a emergency.. you can transfer power to things for a limited time.. but..as I always have said.. you can go computer all you want but you better have paper files to back it up..as for nursing homes.. I'm not impressed with most.. to many cut corners ect.. unfortunately hospitals also.. like they always say.. it's all about the Benjamin's baby (I refuse to give that up even though Omar ruined it for a few days for me.. taking it back)..hang in there Z and family..be safe and take this as a special time with your family.. I'm praying for you and California..

[neurodivergentnetizen]

Thank you for talking about this, ZDogg.

[waynebeeberger]

this is a wakeup call for prep as needed for long term adverse conditions

[therealKJMD]

Just call Erin Brokovich. As I remember, she has ways to deal with PG&E

[midgeb.]

In our hospitals after hurricanes in SC, the generators worked well but no water! And staff had to bring all their only food and water. Patients families were asked to bring water in also.