After days without, power trickles back on for Mariposa Co. residents
MARIPOSA, Calif. (KFSN) -- A normally picturesque view overlooking the community of Coulterville was blanketed by smoke from the Northern California fires and filled with utility trucks working to restore power on Tuesday afternoon. People in town waited anxiously for updates.
"PG&E is coordinating with local authorities and first responders and will have our field crews ready to inspect the power lines and electrical equipment as soon as it is safe to do so,"
The power shut off to the area started Saturday, and many residents were growing weary of life with no electricity.
"It's not only inconvenient, but it also creates havoc everywhere, and we are not happy about it," said Shirley Husted.
Husted is hustling to open a new gift store called Foothills Emporium on December 1, but she worries ongoing outages could keep tourists away.
"People know about this. They're not going to come here if they don't realize we still have some services available, and that's money, that's money to us," she said.
Mariposa County set up two resource centers and reached out directly to the most vulnerable residents during this latest public safety shutdown. Officials say they have continued to learn from each hardship the area faces.
"What it's actually done for us is made us stronger and more resilient as a community," said Health and Human Services Agency director, Chevon Kothari. "We've been able to mobilize resources quicker. We know how to best serve our community as a result of having been through this."
Madera County was also affected by the power shutdown that started Saturday. There was some damaged infrastructure in the higher elevations, so authorities say it could take until 1 p.m. Wednesday before power is fully restored.
Both Madera and Mariposa Counties have also now set up locations where residents can dispose of food that was spoiled during the outage for free.
MADERA COUNTY
Madera County Sheriff's Office Substation
48267 Liberty Drive
Oakhurst, CA 93644
10/29: 2 pm to 5 pm
North Fork Transfer Station
33699 Road 274
North Fork, CA 93643
10/29: 2 pm to 5 pm
MARIPOSA COUNTY
Mariposa County Landfill
5593 Highway 49 North
Mariposa, CA 95338
10/29: 8 am to 4:30 pm
10/30: 8 am to 4:30 pm
Lake Don Pedro Transfer Station
9729 Merced Falls Road, Don Pedro
10/31: 9 am to 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm to 5 pm
Mary Harris Mine Road off Highway 49 North
Coulterville, CA (about 1 mile south of Coulterville)
11/2: 9 am to 12:00 pm and 12:30 pm to 5 pm
