PLACERVILLE, Calif. — Over 5,000 customers in the Placerville area woke up to cold and darkness Tuesday morning. Windy, snowy conditions overnight had caused trees to fall onto transmission lines, cutting power for many on one of the coldest nights so far this winter.
People living near Placerville, north of US 50 were some of the unlucky ones, even though they could look across the highway and see full power along the streets of their downtown neighbors.
Jan Neuman was one of those without power.
“I was sleeping. But my daughter came to me and goes, “Momma, momma! The power’s out!’” she said.
Neuman’s morning started out cold and dark and stayed that way for most of the day. However, she made the most of it, getting outside with her daughter and granddaughter, enjoying the freshly fallen snow.
She said she didn’t know when the power would come back on.
“I wasn’t sure because PG&E is kinda slow on that, you know? But they said about 10:30 it would come on. But it’s still not on,” she said around noon.
Neuman and others in the area say they’ve adapted because of the Public Safety Power Shutoffs in the past couple years.
“Last year, it was off for maybe three days. And that was pretty bad because we had all our stuff in ice boxes and everything,” she said.
Just a little further down the street, Teresa Sumprer and her brother Hal Veerkamp were taking advantage of the daylight, insulating pipes and recharging batteries with their generator.
“It gets progressively worse. You know, we can deal with a fair amount. But at some point, it gets a little too old,” Sumprer said.
She explained what no electricity means in the winter.
“My feet are cold. They’re wet. My jacket’s still wet from last night. I can’t get it dry because the house is cold,” Sumprer said.
She admits that they have adapted because of the power shutoffs of the past.
“We also have these great big solar batteries we can plug into as well as the gas generator. So we’re getting more prepared all the time,” Sumprer said.
She explained they run a Crockpot off the battery so they have hot food despite the power outage. It’s also used for a heating pad.
“And my poor mom is all bundled up here because it’s pretty cold in here,” she said.
She said she worries about what could happen if the power didn’t come back on.
“By tonight, the house will be extremely cold,” she said.
Fortunately, the power did come back on for Sumprer's mother before the temperatures dipped much further.
WATCH ALSO:
