SCE - Southern California Edison Planned Outage

Residents of Wonder Valley have been receiving notices from SCE - Southern California Edison - of an outage scheduled for Wednesday, October 26th, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This is Outage #790181

The notice reads,

“Please note that the power may be off for the whole period or may be turned off more than once. The times noted are our best estimates and some conditions may cause the outage to not start exactly on time or be postponed.”

For more information on outages visit the Outage Center:
https://www.sce.com/wps/portal/home/outage-center/

Please also visit Be Prepared for a Power Outage:

https://www.sce.com/wps/portal/home/outage-center/preparing-for-outages/

The Wonder Valley Community Center will be open from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. for those who need a place to stay during the outage. The Center is located at 80526-½ Amboy Road next to the fire station.

I want to thank everyone who, last summer, helped convince SCE to reschedule the outage to this much more convenient time, when the weather is mild, instead of the middle of triple-digit heat in the summer. Special thanks to all the community members who called SCE to ask them to reschedule, and to Mark Lundquist and Supervisor Ramos, Reach Out Morongo Basin, and the SBC Department of Aging and Adult Services, and all those who helped prepare for the outage should it have continued as planned.

SCE will be at MAC Meeting July 11, 2016

The Morongo Basin Municipal Advisory Council will meet Monday, July 11, 2016 starting at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is held at the Joshua Tree Community Center, 6176 Sunburst Avenue, Joshua Tree.

Jennifer Cusack of Southern California Edison will present a Southern California Edison Service Reliability Update.

Everyone is invited and welcome to attend and participate.

Download the agenda:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/bjvh3v4aowhs1g1/07112016.pdf?dl=0

SCE Outage is cancelled!!!

A couple of people have been informed via Facebook private messages that Southern California Edison is canceling the outage scheduled for Wednesday, June 29, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

This is the message:

"Hi [WV resident]. We've just been informed that the Wonder Valley maintenance outage scheduled for next week has been cancelled. There is a possibility of rescheduling this outage, but until then, your area will not be affected. We understand that keeping power on in this weather for this community is important, and hope we were able to address your concerns."

This has not been confirmed. The protest is going on as planned.

As of 7:00 a.m., Monday, June 27

To check on an outage, go to:
https://www.sce.com/wps/portal/home/outage-center/
and type in our current outage number: 770258

Keep your fingers crossed. This is great news if it's true.

There's a rumor that the SCE Outage may be cancelled

A couple of people have been informed via Facebook private messages that Southern California Edison is canceling the outage scheduled for Wednesday, June 29, from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.

This is the message:

"Hi [WV resident]. We've just been informed that the Wonder Valley maintenance outage scheduled for next week has been cancelled. There is a possibility of rescheduling this outage, but until then, your area will not be affected. We understand that keeping power on in this weather for this community is important, and hope we were able to address your concerns."

This has not been confirmed. The protest is going on as planned.

As of 7:00 a.m., Monday, June 27

To check on an outage, go to:
https://www.sce.com/wps/portal/home/outage-center/
and type in our current outage number: 770258

Keep your fingers crossed. This is great news if it's true.

Protest against SCE's outage planned for Monday

Cai Cas and some of Cai's friends have planned to protest the Southern California Edison scheduled outage planned for Wednesday, June 29. Temperatures are expected to be around 110 and the outage is planned from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., the hottest time of the day.

For more information about the outage and where you might go to escape the heat, please visit:
http://www.wondervalley.org/2016/06/sce-outage-info-please-share-with-your.html

The protest is planned for Monday, June 27, at 8 a.m. in front of the Wonder Valley Community Center, 80526-1/2 Amboy Road in Wonder Valley. Everyone is invited to participate. Make and bring a sign, musical instruments, or noise makers. Water will be provided.

Local media will probably be present.

At 9:30 a.m. there will be a HEAP workshop to help people in Morongo Basin pay their utility bills. Go to:
http://www.wondervalley.org/2016/06/home-energy-assistance-program-heap.html
to see what kind of documentation you need to bring to apply for assistance. The workshop is free and is on a first come, first served basis.

SCE OUTAGE INFO: Please share with your neighbors

ELECTRICAL OUTAGE June 29, 8 a.m – 4 p.m.
Southern California Edison has scheduled an outage in Wonder Valley for Wednesday, June 29, from 8 a.m.
- 4 p.m. If you have an emergency, CALL 9-1-1.

WONDER VALLEY COMMUNITY CENTER (WVCC)
80526½ Amboy, Wonder Valley CA - next to the Fire Station
PHONE: (760) 367-9880
EMERGENCY HOURS: Wednesday, June 29, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.
If you need to get out of the heat, go to the WVCC. Bring food for yourself, and any medications you need.
Water will be provided.

TWENTYNINE PALMS SENIOR CENTER
6539 Adobe Road, Twentynine Palms, CA 92277
If you are a senior you may drive to the Twentynine Palms Senior Center. If you need a ride, call or write our MAC Rep Teresa Sitz before Monday and give her your name, phone number, and address. Reach Out Morongo Basin will pick you up and take you to the Twentynine Palms Senior Center for the day and bring
you home after. If you call before Monday you can reserve a meal.
Teresa Sitz: teresa.sitz@gmail.com, 760-865-9550 or 213-447-8591
Other centers may be opened as needed. For more information visit: WonderValley.org

IMPORTANT TIPS

• Make sure your cell phones and backup batteries are charged.
• If you have a WELL, fill containers for a day’s worth of water for you, your pets, and for flushing your toilet (1-2 gallons each flush). Most well pumps are electric so your well may not be operational during the outage.
• Fill your car up with gas, and make sure you know how to open your garage manually.
• Try to leave your fridge or freezer closed during the outage. Keep cold beverages on ice in a cooler.
• Wake up before dawn and run your swamp cooler and fans. When the sun comes up, close all your curtains.
• You may have to throw out perishable food if it was kept above 40 degrees for too long.
• Avoid open flames of any kind.
• Don’t forget your pets and livestock.
• Consider going someplace else for the day. Exercise security measures if you leave your house. If you see any suspicious activity, report it to 9-1-1. Ask for an incident number.
• Check on your neighbors. In an emergency, CALL 9-1-1.
• For local information and assistance, call the Wonder Valley Community Center at (760) 367-9880.

SIGNS of HEAT CRAMPS / EXHAUSTION 

• Mild to severe muscle cramps in legs, arms, abdomen, or back
• Exhaustion, dizziness, and light-headedness
• Weak pulse and rapid, shallow breathing
• Heavy perspiration (sweating)
• Normal to pale skin color

SIGNS of HEAT STROKE

• Altered mental state
• Skin that is hot to the touch
• Rapid, shallow breathing,
• Strong, rapid pulse
• Weakness, dizziness
• Little to no perspiration (sweat)
• Seizures or muscular twitching

If you are experiencing heat cramps / exhaustion, or any other medical emergency, CALL 9-1-1

IMPORTANT: SCE Planned Outage June 29!!!

Many Wonder Valley residents received a notice yesterday of a Planned Outage for June 29 from 8 a.m. - 4 p.m. People have told me this will affect Twentynine Palms, as well, though at this point this is a rumor. If it is true, Wonder Valley residents will have to travel more than 30 miles to get to a cooling center.

I have contacted the Public Affairs Officer at SCE, the Supervisor's Office and Special Districts, to see what we can do to either stall, or prepare for, this outage.

In the meantime, I suggest you make whatever preparations you can.

• Make sure your phone and backup battery are charged so you can call 911 for yourself or your neighbor if you need to.
• Make sure you have gas in your car and that you can manually open your garage door if necessary.
• If you have a well, make sure that you have plenty of water bottled for yourselves and your animals. Have buckets of water standing by so you can flush your toilets. Consider filling your bathtub so you will have water to cool off in.
• Try not to open your freezer or refrigerator. Freeze water in milk bottles and put these in your fridge on the day of the outage. You WILL have to throw out perishable food that is stored below 40 degrees.
• Fill a cooler with ice and beverages to use for the day. (Keep the fridge closed.)
• Have plenty of food on hand that does not need to be refrigerated: peanut butter, bread, tortillas, beans, energy bars, snacks.
• Keep the curtains closed from before the sun comes up.
• Make plans to visit friends or relatives in a different town for the day.
• Remember your animals.
• Check on your neighbors

Stay tuned here. I will report if there are any changes to this planned outage.

Teresa Sitz
MAC Delegate
Wonder Valley