DAVIS, Calif. — As many as 12,000 customers lost power in Yolo County at the peak of today’s record heat wave, and the preliminary cause is the extreme heat, according to PG&E.
Power has since returned to most of the eastern portions of Yolo County, which lost power around 3 p.m.
The heat was bearing down on John Romero’s West Sacramento mobile home. He's been without central air since mid-June after a series of delays with his cooling contractor and home warranty.
The 68-year-old is sweating away as he takes the hand life dealt him. He's relying on a window unit to keep him and his puppy cool in the heat. He's also spending much of his summer in the bedroom with the door closed, but with the extreme heat and an hour-long power outage, his home reached about 99 degrees Tuesday afternoon.
“It’s a nightmare,” Romero said.
Many of his neighbors in the Valhalla Mobile Home Park are elderly, like Tom Madsen. He is 90 years old and spends as much time indoors as possible. However, he said even checking the mail can be a burden on extremely hot days.
“It is a very burning heat. You feel as if your skin is burning if you’re out in the sun. I think, for seniors, it’s probably not the best thing in the world to even be outside,” Madsen said.
With the triple-digit temperatures, a third year student at UC Davis said it was an unforgettable move in-day.
“We tried to wake up early in the morning just to avoid the heat a little bit, like we woke up at seven and it was like 90 degrees already,” Nicole said.
She added that her move-in was even delayed after heading to a furniture store that was out of power.
While California energy regulators say we avoid rolling blackouts today, many have concerns about potential outages as the state approaches another consecutive day of extreme heat.
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