keith264•1mo agoProlific Poster

The week our town's power grid almost failed from the heat

Last July, we had a solid week over 105 degrees here in Redding. The grid was so strained they asked us to cut back, but half the people just cranked their AC more. I saw a neighbor watering his concrete driveway at noon. By Thursday, the utility sent a text saying we were minutes from rolling blackouts. It made me angry because we all knew it was coming, but so many acted like it was someone else's problem. What's a good way to get people to actually listen during a crisis like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

william_smith1mo ago

Oh man, that's classic... I guess we could try skywriting the emergency notices next time, since clearly texts and common sense aren't cutting it. Maybe a personal visit from a sweaty guy with a hand-crank radio, begging them to turn off the AC while they're actively hosing down their roof to "cool it off"... Honestly, I think some people just won't get it until their own TV blinks off during the big game.

the_ray1mo ago

Skywriting might actually work, @william_smith. Some folks only respond to a big, public message (you know, like a billboard in the sky). It's sad but true.

phoenixp901mo ago

We hit 109 in Bakersfield last summer and the city sent three alerts a day. My buddy across the street ran his sprinklers for two hours straight while his truck was idling in the driveway, just so he could "keep the engine bay cool." I mean, you see that and you just lose hope. It's like a switch flips where people think wasting more power will somehow fix a shortage. Maybe they need to send those blackout warnings with a picture of a melted ice cream bar.