LAKE ISABELLA, Calif. (KERO) — The Kern River Valley community continues to struggle because of public safety power shutoffs. In response, Kern County opens a cooling center in Lake Isabella.
- The cooling center at the senior center in Lake Isablella (6401 Lake Isabella Blvd) is open 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thursday and Friday.
- For more information about resources visit Kern County's website.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
The Kern River Valley is getting some aid and relief from the county in response to the power shutoffs. I'm Steve Virgen, your neighborhood reporter. A cooling center in Lake Isabella has opened and there are other resources available.
Virgen: How long have you lived in the Kern River Valley?
Karen: I’ve been up here 42 years.
Virgen: As far as power shutoffs go have you ever seen anything like this?
Karen: “No. This is the worst. We’ve seen it intermittently. Nothing, nothing like this. And it’s usually shut off for 12 hours at a time.”
Karen Zuber tells me it seems like everyone in the KRV is talking about the power shutoffs. The KRV community made several calls to Kern County because of all the Public Safety Power Shutoffs, a KRV resident tells me. 23 ABC reported on the power shutoffs on Tuesday. The county responded Wednesday by opening a cooling center at the senior center in Lake Isabella.
“We’ve been struggling with power outages since last Wednesday and there are people all over this valley, elderly people who have no family and no other resources,” said Kathleen Brown, a KRV resident.
Southern California Edison has resources available, including a community resource vehicle located at the Mountain Mesa Hospital parking lot on Thursday and Friday from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. The cooling center in Lake Isabella will be open 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. through at least Friday.
"I'm not exactly sure what's going on, but the community is certainly making a fuss. And we sure would love to get some good answers because there's a lot of different rumors going around as to why. Whether it's for public safety. Whether it's for repairs. We even had one notification that said we're not sure why your power is shut off. So, there's a lot of misconception. A lot of rumors. But it's very inconvenient and I'd say for some families it's really hard. This heat is not good for seniors," Zuber said.
Stay in Touch with Us Anytime, Anywhere:
