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Groups Call for Expanding Power Outage Battery-Backup Program
By Jennifer McLelland for Yes! Magazine.
Broadcast version by Suzanne Potter for California News Service reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration
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Our house lost power a few nights ago during one of 2023’s record-setting storms. For most people, losing control is a minor inconvenience. However, for our family, losing power is a medical emergency.
People who use medical devices that depend on electricity need continuous access. Some of my son’s most critical machines—such as his ventilator—have built-in battery backup. But other appliances need to be plugged in, like the oxygen concentrator that supplies oxygen to help with breathing and the humidifier that adds moisture to the air from the ventilator. Previously when the power went out, I had to scramble to jerry-rig his ventilator circuit to run without many of the accessory machines he usually uses. This required making quick, complicated changes in the dark, risking his health. I then had to quickly figure out how to get to a place with electricity.
But on this occasion, I had access to a portable power station for the first time. That meant I could unplug the machines from the wall and plug them into backup power without the outage affecting my son.
Portable power stations are rechargeable batteries that can provide hours of backup electricity, which is especially important for people who use medical devices or assistive technology. The battery takes up about the same amount of space as a suitcase, and using it is as simple as turning it on and plugging equipment into it. But even though this lifesaving technology exists, most people who need it don’t have access to it because of cost.
The power bank we used to keep my son’s equipment running overnight was funded by my utility provider, Pacific Gas & Electric’s (PG&E) Disability Disaster Access and Resources Program. This program pays for portable backup batteries, food replacement, transportation, and hotel stays related to power outages. The program works well—but only a few California residents qualify. It’s only open to disabled PG&E
