Glendale isn’t equipped for Big One

As I watch the way people are having to cope from the results of Hurricane Sandy, particularly the power outages, it occurs to me that we in our city of Glendale will undoubtedly suffer from power outages that will leave the city totally in the black when the Big One hits.

When the 1994 Northridge quake hit, we had a gas turbine generator that could start up and run without any outside power for its auxiliaries. Several years later this generator was sold and removed, and is now providing backup emergency power in South Africa. The city’s Grayson Power Plant no longer has the ability to restore power in the event of a severe earthquake with no assistance from other utilities that will be in the same position.

GWP does have the ability to add equipment to its newest unit to make it capable to start in black-out conditions and restore emergency power to the city. If you calculate what the cost would be to the city to be out of power for 24 to 48 hours it would be huge, not counting the safety and or possible deaths.

Larry Moorehouse
Glendale