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Business & Tech

Voices of the Blackout: Arcadia Residents Share Their Stories

Wednesday's windstorm left thousands of Arcadia residents without power. Patch caught up with several blackout victims about their experiences in the dark.

The has left Phuong Ha and her family without power since Nov. 30. With finals this week at Cal Poly Pomona, the college student has been studying by candlelight.

“I’ve been going to my cousin’s house during the day because they have power,” said the Arcadia resident. “The blackout has definitely made it harder to study. I have to try and get everything done before it gets too dark.”

Ha is one of hundreds of Arcadia residents still in the dark. .

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“We understand the frustrations of all of our customers,” said Mashi Nyssen, a media relations representative for Southern California Edison. “Unfortunately, due to to restore power.”

While Nyssen couldn’t provide a timeline for when city power would be completely restored, she asserted that crews were working diligently to restore power in the area.

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Citywide power outages have led to an increase in business for the . The hotel did lose power on Nov. 30, but it was quickly restored by 2:15 p.m. the next day.

“I would say business has increased 20 percent since Wednesday,” said Sergio Martin, Assistant Manager at the Santa Anita Inn. “We are currently operating at capacity.”

The Santa Anita Inn fared well in Wednesday’s windstorm. Although trees fell on the hotel grounds, the structure suffered no major damages.

“A few rain gutters were hit, but other than that there was nothing too bad,” said Martin. “Our guests have consisted largely of married couples and they have been very understanding of everything.”

Other hotels suffered more extensive damages. The on Colorado Boulevard was left without power until the morning of Monday. The hotel was closed to new guests, but remained open for those who made reservations prior to the windstorm.

Meanwhile, Yuni Hunter, Director of Services at the on Huntington Drive said the hotel had been without power since Nov. 30.

“We didn’t get out power turned on until this morning,” Hunter said.

Longtime Arcadia resident Anna Huang didn’t have her power restored until 4 p.m. on Monday.

“I never noticed how cold it was in my house until the power was gone,” said Huang. “I spent a lot of time out of the house during the blackout. I’d go to restaurants to eat and charge my phone and go to my daughter’s house in San Marino.”

Huang also avoided the cold weather by stopping by the “warming center” at the , where she caught up with her friend Al Gysegem.

“I would come here to stay warm, but they close at midnight and you have to go back to your cold house,” said Gysegem, an Arcadia County resident. “It’s definitely a change of mindset to go from having power to having nothing.”

Although Gysegem’s power was restored Saturday afternoon, he noted that many of his neighbors were still without power.

“Arcadia is the city of trees, so it’s no surprise that the and hit power lines,” said Gysegem. “Southern California Edison had a lot of work to do, so I’ve been very satisfied with their response.”

For Helen Chase, the hardest part of the blackout was being alone. The Arcadia County resident's power was restored in the evening on Saturday, but claims the three days without power were extremely hard on her body.

"All I had was a dim flashlight and no batteries," said Chase. "I spent most of the time laying down in the dark since I couldn't leave my residence, I couldn't read and I couldn't use my cell phone because it had no power."

If there is one thing Chase has learned from the blacklight, it's to store extra batteries nearby.

"Not being able to see was very tough," said Chase. "Next time, I will have more flashlights and batteries nearby."

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