Palm Springs residents lose thousands of dollars after repeated power surges

PALM SPRINGS, Calif. (KESQ)  - "It's a thought in the back of your mind every day," Sheryll Walton, Camino Del Sol resident, said. "You're wondering, what am I going to lose today?"

Walton said 2 major power surges within the past 11 months have cost multiple residents in her Camino Del Sol community thousands of dollars in destroyed appliances.

News Channel 3's Shay Lawson first reported about the issue in November.

"I lost about $9,700 worth of appliances," Walton said.

She said Southern California Edison (SCE) hasn't provided her any reimbursement.

"Some people I've heard have gotten full reimbursement, some have gotten partial," Walton said. "I was told you're out of luck."

Beyond the monetary losses, Walton said she's worried about her and her neighbors well-being.

"Are we even safe in our own home? Can this start a fire in a unit? Can it have an explosion to where multiple units are destroyed or people get hurt?" she said.

She's not alone.

Marya Morgan, another Camino Del Sol resident, said the repeated power surges have taken a toll on her daily routine.

"It stops everything you're doing," Morgan said. "You have to deal with all this paperwork. You have to deal with financially affording things."

Morgan described the most recent surge in October as chaotic — with loud pops, hissing noises and a sudden boom before appliances shut down for good.

"It hit my stepmother's new HVAC system," Morgan said. "We haven't yet had that evaluated, so I don't know what the cost is of that, but the cost to put it in was $10,000."

Dell Morgan, Marya's stepmother, said the surges have far greater risks for older or medically vulnerable residents.

Not Just Camino Del Sol

Just a few minutes away in the 43@Racquet Club neighborhood, Aaron Johnston Palm Springs resident, said he's experienced the same sudden strikes.

"We had loud popping," Johnston said. "There was fire coming out of the GFI and smoke. Several homes had that."

Like the Camino Del Sol residents, he said he's spent thousands replacing appliances, solar micro-inverters and multiple surge protection systems that were destroyed in the process.

“We can’t leave the house without worrying,” Johnston said. “We’re concerned that we’re going to have a fire in our community or someone’s going to get hurt.”

What's causing these surges?

News Channel 3’s Shay Lawson took these concerns to Jeff Monford, SCE spokesperson.

Monford says outages — and the surges that sometimes accompany them — are often triggered by severe weather damage.

“Last year in October there was some weather damage that led to an outage that affected this part of Palm Springs,” Monford said. “The same thing happened again in the recent storms all over Southern California.”

He said different lines were affected last year from the one that was this year.

“A big outage is likely due to a bigger line feeding many areas,” Monford said. “As opposed to the smaller lines feeding a small neighborhood.”

He also explained that surge protectors, especially whole-home units installed by an electrician, can help prevent damage when electricity abruptly returns to the grid.

Are you covered? What SCE says — and what residents say they've experienced

SCE does offer a claims process, but residents said the outcomes have been inconsistent.

Walton said SCE told her they were “only responsible to the meter.”

Steen said repeated attempts to get help went unanswered.

Morgan said she plans to re-submit her claim because nothing came back from last year’s surge.

Monford said the bottom line is that residents are not automatically covered.

"Generally, we are responsible for losses that occur due to our negligence," Monford said. "In many instances, we are not responsible for power outages, voltage fluctuations, food loss, or property damage that occur due to forces outside our control, such as earthquakes and weather-related conditions including wind, rain, fog, lightning or extreme heat."

He said customers may go to SCE.com/Claims.

"We aim to respond to claims promptly and fairly, and we evaluate each claim individually," Monford said.

He added SCE's work is regulated by the California Public Utilities Commission.

"We are accountable for using funds from customer bills responsibly, including in the payment of claims. If we were to pay claims for losses due to situations not within our control, bills for all customers would rise," Monford said. "We take affordability seriously and strive to be a responsible steward of our customers’ dollars. As part of that commitment, we follow a regulated process for paying claims."

What's next?

While SCE said their crews always work to restore power safely as fast as possible, impacted residents said they’re left without clarity about long-term solutions.

“I think we need some answers so we can feel safe in our homes again,” Walton said.

All residents interviewed said the same thing:

They want transparency, consistency and preventative measures — not just repairs after the damage is already done.

Morgan suggested what she called an easy goodwill gesture.

“If we could get some sort of a firewall, like SCE could supply us with surge protectors on all meters,” she said. “That would be such a gesture of goodwill right now and allow us to relax during the holidays.”