"We're very careful, we keep everything off,"
"As long as it's sunny ... it typically gets us through the night."
"We've got 100-plus homes in here that are acting like we're out in the middle of the Mojave Desert,"
"We're doing what we have to do to stay in our homes."
Residents of Portuguese Bend rely on rooftop solar panels, 13.5-kilowatt batteries and backup generators after Southern California Edison and SoCalGas cut service amid accelerating landslides. About 120 homes have adapted by staggering appliance use, conserving electricity, monitoring a solar-capacity app and switching on a massive generator when batteries fall near 20 percent. One household reserves laundry for sunny days and manages power carefully to support a 91-year-old's oxygen machine. The landslide caused roads and homes to crack, drop and suffer damage, yet many residents have chosen to remain, accepting inconvenience and higher costs to stay in their homes.
Read at Los Angeles Times
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