Despite intermittent power shutoffs, some Chino Valley schools have been staying open.
Starting three weeks ago, Southern California Edison began power shutoffs across the Inland Empire as a fire-safety measure amid high winds reaching almost 80 mph in some places.
RELATED: Long power outages lead to frustration for Inland Empire residents
The Chino Valley Unified School District faced what school board President Sonja Shaw called “a new reality, with no prior notice.”
Shaw said a high school with about 3,000 students and several elementary schools have endured six full days without power — along with many shorter outages lasting hours at a time. The most recent, she said, came Thursday, Jan. 23.
The outages are a “last resort” and done to protect against fire danger during heavy winds, said Southern California Edison spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas, who added that the utility understands the inconvenience brought by outages, which also have frustrated residents across the Inland Empire.
Fires across Southern California have caused billions of dollars in damage and dozens of deaths in the past several weeks as Los Angeles County and Southern California fire crews battle flames during intense Santa Ana winds.
Two major blazes sparked in Los Angeles County on Tuesday, Jan. 7, amid a windstorm that saw gusts above 80 mph. The fast-moving Eaton fire near Pasadena and the Palisades fire in Pacific Palisades continue, with a third major fire burning in the Castaic area.
In Chino Valley schools, officials gave families from Chino Hills High School and Oak Ridge Elementary School — which have both been hit by power outages — the option to send their children to campus or keep them home.
“Not all parents can take time off to watch their students, and the Superintendent wanted to provide families with a safe learning space where students could be supervised, receive instruction and be given meals,” spokesperson Andrea Johnston said in a Wednesday, Jan. 22, email. “Students whose parents elected to keep them home received an excused absence.”
The district outfitted campuses with generators to power the library, front office, multi-purpose room, gym and restrooms, she said. Teachers could bring students to these communal areas during an outage, Johnston said, and internet was available in the library for students. Cafeterias stayed open for breakfast and lunch.
Shaw is frustrated by the utility’s practice.
“Over these past two weeks, our superintendent and staff have worked tirelessly to find solutions, but we continue to face roadblocks,” Shaw said. “While wildfires are a very real danger, shutting off power every time it gets windy is not a viable solution to mitigate fire risk.”
She said Edison must modernize its infrastructure by upgrading utility poles, improving systems and installing underground lines. She encouraged the public to contact local government officials.
Meanwhile, the district is exploring interim solutions, Shaw said, such as finding funding for larger generators and state reimbursements for additional resources to keep power on.
Ornelas, of Edison, said: “We understand it is a hardship to be without power for our customers, residents, businesses and schools.”
Edison has intermittently shut off power in areas it identified as having heightened wildfire risks, including parts of north Fontana, Bloomington and Jurupa Valley.
Other Inland Empire school districts, including the San Bernardino City and Hemet unified school districts, have seen power shutoffs in the past two weeks and closed school doors.
Sonia Ramirez, Hemet schools’ interim spokesperson, said the district has shut several schools but had no districtwide problems.
In San Bernardino, Kimbark Elementary School and Paakuma K-8 School closed for two days because of power outages, Safety and Emergency Manager Eric Vetere said.
The district rented generators for $90,000 and had school buses on standby at central locations in case evacuations were needed, he said. Officials were ready to provide meals to the affected schools, he added.
The district’s goal is to ensure “a safe and comfortable environment for students, especially considering the high fire risk in those areas,” Vetere said.
Eight more schools were added to the watch warning list for possible outages, but the district expects fire risk to drop as the weather changes, he said.
Ornelas said shutoffs will remain “while the winds remain at dangerous speeds.”
“Once conditions improve and reach safer levels, service will begin to be restored,” Ornelas said.
For now, Southern California fire departments remain on alert for high, dry winds but forecasters say the region could see rainfall over the weekend.
At least three lawsuits representing more than a dozen fire victims were filed Los Angeles County Superior Court against Edison, alleging the utility is responsible for igniting the Eaton fire, which reduced parts of Altadena to rubble and caused at least 16 deaths.
