California

Thanks to my family and friends we were able to get installed a swamp cooler just before the first heatwave.

But wait - then our power went out this morning ! Got a notice from PGE that it would be restored at 7:30 pm!! YIKES!!!!

So I go to get my Honda generator going so at least me and my 82 year old mom can use fans, but I can't get it started. Called my cousin and he was going to come over to look at it, but the power was restored before he got here (thank goodness!)

I was panicking there for a little bit. I still need to get this generator fixed, but am hoping that the temps come down before I bug my cousin again.

Due to the high fire zone I live in (near Lake Berryessa in the mountains), PGE has some kind of system that automatically shuts down the power if anything touches any of the power lines. They have to inspect the entire area (with helicopters) before restoring it. While there is a way to have the power automatically come back on, it has been found that the 'restarting' causes some sparks and could start a fire. 2 hours down in this heat is not that bad. I feel so bad for the people in Texas right now with no power after the hurricane, in this kind of heat, it is deadly.

I've lived here now for 25 years in the Bay Area, I've never seen this kind of prolonged heat. Scary!!!