SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — Thousands of San Diego customers lost power overnight as extreme heat strained the electrical grid, leaving vulnerable residents — including seniors who depend on electricity for medical equipment and medications — without power for hours.
Greg Mason, who lives on Black Oak Road in Lemon Grove, said the outage created an immediate crisis for his neighbors.
"It was just miserable... the lady across the street she's on medication and a machine... she didn't know," he said. "She couldn't breathe."
Mason said he and his neighbors gathered lights and came together outside as the situation worsened. His neighbor was taken to a place with electricity to keep her safe.
"We gathered lights - and came out to the middle of the street - other neighbors were having issues," Mason said.
Mason says Black Oak Road is home to many seniors who rely on electricity to keep medications cold, power medical equipment, and stay safe. He said the heat compounded his own medical concerns.
"I have seizures, so I take Dilantin, so I don't be out in the extreme heat ... whatever I take last night is weakened by the heat," Mason explained.
Temperatures reached 100 degrees in the area and were sitting at 92 degrees during my visit.
Mason said he and his neighbors called SDG&E numerous times, but crews didn't restore power until around 1 p.m.
SDG&E acknowledged the impact of the outages but said its grid is reliable. A spokesperson said the extreme heat and excessive usage were the main factors behind the disruptions.
"We obviously understand that these outages are an inconvenience and can be a safety issue," Humberto Gurmilan, a spokesperson for SDG&E said.
"That puts a lot of strain on the grid and then a lot of things can happen," Gurmilan said.
SDG&E did not provide specifics on what caused each outage; it also did not provide information about individual outages on its outage tracker. Gurmilan said customers should still call the service line when faced with an outage.
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