COLFAX, Calif. — PG&E says as many as 250,000 customers could lose power in the next set of shutoffs due to high fire danger on Wednesday. Because of this, city leaders in Colfax are taking proactive steps to make sure the elderly stay safe.
Mayor Joe Fatula says he will be using his personal 2006 Chevy Silverado to help people "power up" during the blackout.
“All the older Silverado have an outlet built right into the bed. So, I have a pair of these outlets, I can run two 20-amp devices, which is a refrigerator, a freezer, or recharge devices,” said Fatula.
He says PG&E did not open any customer resource center in Colfax during the past shutoffs. And he’s afraid it won’t happen is time around either. His biggest concern is the older people who cannot easily move around, and who will hunker down at home.
“If the temperature is between 50 and 59, in that range there, and you’re elderly and have a medical complication, a circulation problem or something like that, you shouldn’t be at your house at that temperature. It’s too cold,” said Fatula.
To make matters worse, Fatula says the older folks who need help often won’t ask for it.
“Too many people don’t want to bother the services. Their view is not an emergency, it’s 'I’m only freezing. This is not an emergency,'” explained Fatula.
For that reason and others, he, Mayor Pro Tem Marnie Mendoza and other members on the Colfax City Council have teamed up to make sure people in their community stay safe.
“I will drive my truck around to help anybody who needs medical devices charged up. I have an RV so we have a second generator we can move around. We also have a couple of people who have volunteered a couple of generators. That’s the limit of the resources we have right now,” says Fatula.
The city of Colfax is still under a state of emergency because of past power shutoffs. Mendoza says she is optimistic that the funding from that could help during these new potential shutoffs. Plus, she says last week city leaders met with the Placer County Board of Supervisors to talk about improving infrastructure.
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