Coming home to a power outage is not ideal for anyone, but that is exactly what many Los Angeles residents, including USC students, experienced last Friday.
Dangerously high temperatures hit Los Angeles, prompting officials to warn residents to stay indoors. Extreme weather often strains the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power’s equipment, causing power outages city-wide. Last week, more than 5,000 residents were left without power in the Adams-Normandie, Exposition Park and University Park area.
“I was actually out at dinner with my friends, and then I got a message in the GroupMe for my building saying that the power was out,” said Christopher Whaley, a Viterbi School of Engineering graduate student. According to the LADWP’s website, the utility prioritizes larger outages, so some customers sometimes go without power for more than 24 hours.
“I got back to my apartment at around 2 p.m.. My roommates were cooking and for about an hour, the electricity would go in and out for a couple seconds, and then at around 3, it just went out,” said Grace Love, a junior at Dornsife. “It came back on for 45 minutes, and then it was out until 10 a.m. the next morning.”
The power outage inconvenienced many; however, the LADWP plans to prepare for these ongoing extreme weather conditions by properly replacing or upgrading power equipment as needed in order to help prevent outages.
“While extreme heat events were once considered emergencies, it is now the new normal and the Department prioritizes this reality in all of its operations,” the DWP website said.
When the power goes out, DWP encourages residents to consider seeking shelter at one of the city’s cooling centers. Other tips include keeping a flashlight and batteries on hand, making sure electronics are charged or having an extra portable battery pack, and turning off or unplugging any electronics to assist service restorations. DWP also offers income-qualified customers a $225 rebate for window, wall and portable AC units as they urge customers to stay cool during the heatwave.