Ready when the power is out? Starting the drought wildfire in wild fires, high winds and electricity companies. This scheduled parcel is called Public safety power turns, Shortened to PSPSand increasingly common. So far we saw them this year Tex, New Mexicoand Californium.
Unlike permanent power deficiencies, the average about two hours Although a piece of fragmented equipment is corrected, a PSPS weather continues until the weather improves, Which day can. These gardens come to a steep price. In 2010, they cost more than California $ 13 billion. 2019 analysis of the 2019 analysis of the parcels of California in the city of Placer County 70% of local businesses.
Me one work School professor Those who read how much people pay for the work during emergencies. As I mentioned my new book Power of cash: Why paper money is good for you and societyMany people have left paper money and passed electronic payments such as credit cards and mobile applications. This may be a big problem because of the ambulance, because it needs electricity of these systems. The transition to electronic payments makes the world less solid in the number of great natural disasters.
Thus, if you have a public safety power, you can be doubly sensitive if you do not have any money. On the other hand, save money and can only protect you and your family and your family and your family. After all this, it reduces financial damage caused by the economy to move the economy.
Why continue to turn off the power?
All applies to risk.
The world has recently become a very destructive wild fire extinguisher in a number of recently. In 2025, the large parts of Los Angeles burned the ground More than 18,000 buildings were destroyed or damaged. In 2023 Wild fires in Hawaii Killed more than 100 people. There have been massive wildfire recently South Korea, Portugaland Australia.
Governments, people burning houses and insurance companies are looking for someone to blame everyone and pay for damage. Climate change, this Dry the world’s mean temperature and trees and the grass determines the terms. Since the main nature cannot be sued, the utilities are the handy skapegoats with deep pockets. Is sued because they are power utilities power lines, transformerand Other equipment often begins blazets.
Thus, if the conditions for preventing fires in court, power companies, power companies are increasingly exiting force. When do not have a single set of standards to apply, but when common power companies do There are warm, dry and windy conditions. For example, if there is a drought, a PSP in Hawaii is more than 45 mph and Relative humidity is below 45%.
Power turning is a relatively new idea. They were offered in California in 2008 and first allowed in 2012.
Since then, power companies All of the United States from Texas for Hawaii accepted these plans. Conveoff plans also extend both southern border countries Arizona to the north border countries like Idaho and Montana.
It is a big problem to connect its strength because communities are massively broken. People depend on power to operate medical equipment, work and keep communities safe. Even people who need hope for electricity, As a medical life supportIt is not immune to a security extinguisher.
How to prepare for PSPS
As the world is warm, a privileged power chances are increasing. What can you do to minimize the coup?
Solar panels I do not protect you: Utilities, these panels are closing customers with solar panels to avoid pushing the panels, because the whole goal is to close the network. The only way to your strength is still getting a Battery storage system and a transfer key that allows you to get your system Absolutely outside the network. But this is very expensive.
To get a portable generator, the multivar is just partial solution for a parcel The most recent only 6 to 18 hours on a single gas tank. Moreover, generators are very hot to create Risk of own fire.
Another way is to create a small thing to minimize both power off and minimize the effects of a wildflow Disaster Relief Setor “go to the bag”. Creating a relatively cheap. Contains water, water, medication, some shelfare containing basic ingredients like stable food and most important. Even some Government Sites Forgets for Report it.
It is also important to use paper money before a parcel occurred. I have no idea how to manage my participants, supermarket inspection workers and restaurant servers in a very frequent gas station.
I recently paid with a lawsuit in a local supermarket, for example, a $ 20 bill. The cashier had to ask another employee who uses the kind to use to make changes. If people do not know how to control the cash at normal times, people stop being useful during emergencies.
As the world warmd, the use of public safety will occur more often. Firefighting clearly emphasizes trade between economic and social violations that prevent dangerous wildfires. These gardens do not have easy solutions, there are only tough choices.
There are several sensitive and easy steps to reduce the impact of these parcels. One is to understand that modern payment systems fail during one of many points you may have to spend really spend money. Save the old money and often use yourself and your family is a simple and inexpensive way to protect your family.
Jay L. Zagorsky The Questrom is an associate professor at work school University of Boston.
This article is republished Conversation Under the Creative Commons license. Read original article.
