It is in the hand of the ISO, we are all interconnected, so we are watching the situation closely. Bob Lopez, the regional manager for Southern California Edison in Southwest Riverside County, likewise said that interruptable customers had been shut down in Riverside County on Thursday morning but that their power had been restored. If it occurs, it will be across the whole Edison service territory, and will not severely impact one city. In response to the emergency, the U.S. Department of Energy extended the department's emergency order requiring generators and marketers in other states to make power available to California until Jan. 17. But Fluckiger said the late hour issuance of the emergency order may have no impact on the crisis.
Power generators have eight hours to comply.
While the DOE order has certainly helped us, I don't know that it is the panacea to generate more electricity than is already out there. North San Diego County and Southwest Riverside County government agencies were preparing for the possibility of blackouts late Thursday. California ISO officials said there would only be about 10 minutes before the utilities are notified and the blackouts begin. Carlsbad police Officer Howard Carpenter said the biggest problem area caused by a blackout would be nonworking traffic lights. Carpenter and Oceanside police Officer Dave Heering said a blackout brought on by the power shortage would be no different than blackouts caused by forces of nature or traffic accidents.