THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT IN VISALIA

Monday, August 19, 2013.  I arrive early at City Hall for the 4:30 p.m. work session of the city council.  We slog through that agenda, then confer in closed session from 6 to 7.  At 7 p.m., we reconvene in council chambers to hold our regular city council meeting.  As we begin the meeting, the lights flicker, go out momentarily, then come back on. We continue with our meeting until 8 p.m. when city manager Steve Salomon steals up behind the dais where we are deliberating to whisper that the Rector power station in southeast Visalia is on fire and that power is out around the county.  Councilman Bob Link leans over to share his wife’s text that not only Tulare County but all of Kings County is without power.  In the midst of this realization, my high school daughter Lora, who is home alone, rings my cell phone so I step out to take the call.  She indicates that all the power is out at home.  I reply that City Hall is on emergency generators, we still have lights and some air conditioning.  She asks if she can come down and finish her homework by the lights at City Hall. Glad that she is okay, I step back into the council meeting.  We finally conclude our deliberations a little before 9 p.m.  By this time the council chambers have emptied, most city personnel having left to address this city emergency.

Lora is waiting for me in the foyer of city hall.  She hasn’t had much for dinner.  I suggest we cruise around to see if any place is open.  There is almost a full moon on this muggy evening.  We drive around downtown.  The hospital lights are on by way of back-up emergency generators.  Some stop lights are likewise on, powered by battery back-ups.  Otherwise, downtown has a dark, eery feel to it, may be a good place for the next film noir or zombie movie?  All restaurants and businesses are empty and closed.  We find one gas station/mini mart miraculously open on Mineral King, but there is a line of cars trailing into the street.  We decide not to wait.  We then try Mooney Blvd. and find it likewise completely dark, other than a few stop lights that are still working.  Next, we stop at my law office to check on our server, I retrieve my trusty dictaphone.  I suggest to Lora that we visit the city’s Emergency Operations Center to investigate what is happening there.  As a dad, I take every opportunity to give my daughter a civics lesson.

The EOC is located at Station 55 on the corner of Shirk and Ferguson.  We pull in to find all the lights on, again due to emergency generators.  Inside, we greet the city manager, some council members, fire and police staff along with some department heads and miscellaneous city staff.  A t.v. news channel is describing the recent storm and power outage.  People are huddled around computers and communication equipment.  Lora heads to a table that has some frozen burritos, peanut butter-filled pretzels, biscotti, uncrustables, and drinks.  At last, Lora is able to satiate her appetite.  The new Fire Chief, Doug McBee, indicates that 120,000 Edison Company customers are without power, he estimates it could be as many as half a million people!

We speak with Police Chief Colleen Mestas and some of her staff.  She indicates that they have officers and reserves patrolling the streets.  There is no looting or criminal activity related to the power outage. After visiting a bit more and observing how efficiently the EOC is being operated, I head home with Lora and let the city staff take care of the city.

Back home, the house is stuffy, it is actually cooler outside than in.  With my flashlight, I head upstairs and change, trying to decide whether to sleep indoors or out.  Lora, being ever inquisitive, tries the whole-house fan switch once more, this time it comes on!  We gratefully flip the power switches on and re-set the clocks.  The time is 10:21.  I check the fridge and freezer, food is still safe  for Lora’s future consumption.  I telephone assistant city manager Mike Olmos to report that our part of town has power back on. He relates that our city fire department has extinguished the Rector station fire.  Thankful to have power resumption, and knowing our city is in good hands, I decide to end this dictation and get some sleep.