Some SCE customers go without power during excessive heat warning

Some planned power outages aren’t sitting well for some Southern California Edison customers impacted by the loss of their lights, and more importantly, their air conditioning. SCE officials said 68 customers were without power — some in Palm Desert, Thousand Palms and Palm Springs.

2 ppl are protesting the planned #SCE outage in South #PalmSprings. They are frustrated it’s happening during this heat wave. pic.twitter.com/eZbL3KfWwa

— Jeremy Chen (@JeremyChenKESQ) June 19, 2017

Two people in south Palm Springs wanted to make it known that they did not approve of the outage happening in this heat. Many others have expressed frustration over social media as well.

The planned outage began at about 9:30 a.m., according to SCE. Workers were at the Bogert Trail replacing a transformer that utility officials said was degraded. Officials said they canceled all of the planned outages except for two which were deemed necessary.

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Meanwhile, a Palm Desert neighborhood was also impacted.

“They do what they want and to heck with the customers. It’s at their convenience not ours,” Dennis DeGroot of Palm Desert said.

Movers who worked to move DeGroot out of his home said it wasn’t an easy task without air conditioned breaks.

“IT’s a little hotter since there’s no AC (air conditioning) when we come in to get a piece of furniture. As you can see, we’re soaked in sweat,” said Eli Garcia, a mover with ACE’s Moving Pros.

But the planned outages aren’t over. Some Cathedral City SCE customers say they’ve learned their power will be out next week.

“This is ridiculous and nobody seems to be able to stop them. They just keep rolling along,” Carol Evans said.

Congressman Raul Ruiz said his office was working with SCE to mitigate disruption of local power sources on Monday.

“During this excessive heat wave, I was concerned about upcoming planned power outages that could have dangerous effects on residents, particularly seniors. That’s why my office has been working with SCE to mitigate disruption of local services. Over 90 percent of the scheduled outages have been canceled, though some are still needed to repair equipment. I will continue working with local and state officials to ensure the safety of my constituents,” said Congressman Ruiz.

SCE officials said the repairs were needed to ensure a bigger problem wouldn’t occur, and repairs would be done as soon as possible.

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