County Ensures the Neediest Have Power

At a time when residents of fire-blackened mountain areas of San Bernardino County are facing possible power blackouts during high winds, a neighboring county is ensuring that those in need continue to receive electricity.

A Riverside County program provides 196 home generators to low-income elderly or the disabled for nominal fees. The state-funded program aims to make sure that those who rely on electricity to preserve their health do not go without it, even for brief periods, said Lois Carson, head of the county’s Community Action Partnership.

Mountain residents in San Bernardino County have called on local and state officials to provide sick people with backup generators in the wake of Southern California Edison’s new policy to shut off power during periods of severe winds and humidity. The policy is designed to prevent dead trees that fall on power lines from sparking fires. In addition, Edison plans to occasionally shut off power as it repairs fire-damaged lines.

Charles Adams, deputy director of County Community Action Partnership, said San Bernardino County does not offer the generators because it was unable to obtain the state funding. He did not say why.

Riverside County’s generator program is funded by the state Department of Community Services and Development. Carson said she hoped current budget cuts would not halt it. The total cost so far has been $204,990.

“Recipients are supposed to pay us $50 for the generators, but if they can’t afford to do that, we accept $5,” said Carson. The generators cost government agencies from $834 to $1,273.

Carson said that the county’s generator program began in 2001 and has mainly benefited residents of desert areas, where power outages during the summer can imperil ill people by denying them air conditioning.

The generators that have been distributed range from 4,000 to 5,500 watts.

The list of illnesses that qualify a low-income recipient includes chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, emphysema, cancer, lupus, sleep apnea, heart seizure, cerebral palsy, congestive heart failure, multiple sclerosis, heart failure and kidney transplants, she said.

The new Edison blackout policy has been a subject of debate in the San Bernardino Mountains, where hundreds of homes were destroyed by the Old fire.

Edison spokesman Steve Conroy said Edison had phoned and sent letters to “customers of record with a serious medical condition” more than a month ago to notify them of its policies on power blackouts.