ALPINE, Calif. (KGTV) — ALPINE, Calif. (KGTV) — In his 12 years of running a convenience store in Alpine store, Sam Gorgees has dealt with plenty of power shutoffs. But last month’s outage hit him especially hard.
"Two thousand dollars for the produce, plus $5,900 for the fixing of the fridge," he says.
In just a day and a half without power, that’s how much Sam lost.
Shelves once stocked with ice cream, sandwiches, dairy products, and even beer ended up in the trash.
When the power finally came back on, a short circuit damaged his four-door refrigerator.
"I was very mad at that time," Sam tells ABC 10News.
Now, with another potential shutoff on the horizon, he's trying to stay calm.
"What can I do? I do nothing, I don’t have anything to do," he says.
To avoid further losses during the Santa Ana wind season, he tells me he’s considering cutting back on items that require refrigeration. But that could cost him a loss in business.
“We lose business like that... Maybe they won’t come back," Gorgees says.
For locals like Paul Suda, who lives in Descanso, last month’s outage was a tough learning experience.
Without power, he lost food in his fridge and struggled to keep warm. But this time, he’s determined to be better prepared, especially with his brand-new generator.
"I'm just gonna go fill those jugs of water up just in case and be prepared," Paul tells ABC 10News. "I went grocery shopping, got propane for the barbecue, more candles, all that good stuff… I am ready for it."
For those looking to purchase a generator for the potential shut-offs, make sure you call stores ahead of time. Some are low on inventory or out of stock completely since the last round.
