With the Santa Ana winds blowing across San Diego, for many residents in the East County that means power shutoffs. Thousands of San Diego Gas and Electric customers were without power Friday and even earlier in the week. While it's an inconvenience, it's an adjustment many of them have had to make.
The cranking of a back up generator isn't the way some people would like to wake up to. But for Heidi and Ben Brunetto, it's what they have to do when those Santa Ana winds roll in.
"Right now, this is how we have everything, just extension cords ran throughout the house," Ben explains.
It's just another day of staying ready for whatever comes their way.
"We've been familiar with the process and like had to really adjust to that immediately," Heidi says. "And getting a generator right away knowing that this is something that's likely to happen on a frequent basis."
The Brunetto's have been without power for most of the week, part of SDG&E's power shutoffs, thanks to the wind. Never knowing how long it's going to go, they stay prepared.
"So you know we set it up and it's the extension cords, it's running and it's a part of living out here and you just kind of have to make it as much of a routine and as easy as possible," Ben says as he shows us all the wires leading into his home from the generator.
For many people in the East County these power shutoffs are becoming all too familiar and they're having to come up with creative ways like batteries, generators, or even propane tanks nearby just to keep their days going.
But his is the home of their dreams, so an inconvenience is just that.
"It's a give and take, you know that there's a risk living where we do in terms of fires this the whole power shutoff thing," says Heidi.
And for this East County family, it's better to be without power than to be without their home.
"It's just scary to think about the possibilities of fires with wind events and especially after seeing what's happening in L.A. and how quickly it can come.
But the adjustments don't just stop with this generator, they're continuing to find the best ways that will benefit their family and their safety.
"Our next thing I guess on our on our list of things to do for the house is to be able to directly plug our generator into our to our electrical system through the the fuse panel. And then we don't need all the extension cords."
