READERS SHARE “LIGHTS OUT” STORIES—AND LESSONS LEARNED

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September 9, 2011 (San Diego) – Local residents are swapping stories of how they coped during the biggest blackout ever to hit our region. Their tales vary widely – and show that amid a crisis, attitude is everything! Neighbors helped neighbors—and some hosted impromptu blackout parties.

 Some East County residents and businesses proved that preparedness is a virtue, while others found themselves stranded without gas or cash.

Here’s a sampling of black-out stories from our readers.

Flinn Springs resident Chuck Wilker says he bought a generator after the Cedar Fire. “Life is beautiful,” he wrote. “Crank it up, plus in the air conditioner, TV and fridge.” Wilker spent the evening watching a football game in the cool comfort of his home, amid company of his friends while others sweltered in the heat.

Joe Vecchio was on his way to an important dinner and decided to stop off for a haircut at his barber in Point Loma along the way. “I was in the chair no more than five minutes and the power went out,” he said. “Naturally, we all started thinking 9/11 and ‘terrorist’ and all that. My trusty barber, Theresa, had to finish off my haircut with scissors and a straight razor…And of course, the important dinner was postponed and everyone was trying to get home in the traffic mess.”

Adrienne Van De Wiele of Lakeside was at work on the fourth floor of the San Diego State University Research Foundation when the lights went out—and a coworker got stuck in the elevator. “Trying to get a hold of someone to assist in getting that person out of the elevator was a huge challenge,” she said. It took two hours to drive home to Lakeside through a“horrible” traffic jam. Arriving home, she found a “hilarious” sight., “My husband was sitting in his Lazy Boy chair, with a cold beer, staring at the blank TV…the TV is his second love; he is lost without it.” Her biggest worry was being unable to find out if her grandchild had been picked up from daycare, but fortunately, he was safe, she later learned.

Sycuan Casino, which just completed a major remodel, may have been the most prepared business in East County. “We’ve got a couple of generators,” spokesman Adam Day said. “Once the blackout hit, within one or two seconds, everything transferred over in a completely seamless operation for the Casino and emergency personnel. We can operate indefinitely,” said Day. “We keep enough diesel fuel for four days, but if this had gone past two days, we’d start getting more fuel.”

Everything stayed open –including restaurants and a sports bar jam-packed with customers watching a football game. “We kept them calm and cool and let them relax and enjoy themselves,” said Day.

Viejas also stayed opened through the crisis. Robert Scheid, spokesman for Viejas, said his first priority was making the Casino had power. It did, thanks to a generator. After leaving work, he turned his attention to a new priority: finding a way to watch the Packer’s game. “ I’m from Wisconsin, a cheese head, said Scheid, who headed out to his RV parked at Pio Pico. “ I powered up the generator and watched the game.”

Jeff Winthrop, a server/bartender at the Downtown Café in El Cajon, said the restaurant shut down immediately when the lights went out and began using ice to chill down food. But ultimately, we said, “A lot of food had to be thrown out, especially perishables like milk products.

Winthrop wasn’t at work when the power outage occurred, however. Studying to become a teacher, he was on his way to take a test when he got caught in a massive traffic jam in the Clairemont Mesa area. “I was there on an empty tank of gas—the low fuel light had just come on,” he said. Discovering that gas pumps won’t work when the power goes down, the bartender realized he’d have to wait a couple of hours to let traffic clear. He stopped at a Boll Weevil restaurant, where he was informed only pre-cooked ribs and beer were being served. “I only had $12, so it was a choice between beer or ribs.” The thirsty bartender chose beer—and was relieved to later learn that the test he missed had been rescheduled.

Nancy Hauser, whose home faces the San Diego River, made lemons out of life’s lemonade. “Once hubby and I realized it would be a long haul, we brought out the battery radio and battery TV (wow 3 x 5 inches is small!)” she wrote in an e-mail. “We brought in the solar lights off their hangers and stakes in the backyard, dug out the battery operated pillar candles from Christmas, and settled in. Once it was completely dark, we took our folding canvas chairs out back and enjoyed the moonlight and the stars, which we haven’t seen in years unless we drive quite a ways. We haven’t talked so long without the distraction of TV or other media, including books and mags, in over 20 years.”

The couple dined on canned peaches and pineapple, along with a watermelon. Afterwards, they checked items in freezers and found that “Even the Popsicles and Drumsticks survived,” Hauser reports, adding, “All in all, in retrospect—quite enjoyable.”
 


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