When cell towers are damaged or overloaded, phones work harder to stay connected, using up more power. Weak signals, frequent reconnecting, and increased activity from the phone's modem are among the main reasons the battery does not last as long in these situations.
Internal breakdowns like those add to the chronic terror neighbors and businesses face downwind of the refinery, said Heidi Taylor, who lives along its fence line in downtown Martinez. She said she's seen level-one alerts and enormous flaring almost every day for the past month, which was confirmed by Contra Costa County officials. It's the public that suffers as a result of MRC's incompetence, or what I would argue is gross negligence, Taylor said Tuesday at a Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors meeting.
The Los Angeles Police Department has released a report that identifies several shortcomings in its response to the devastating Palisades fire, including communication breakdowns, inconsistent record-keeping and poor coordination at times with other agencies - most notably the city's Fire Department. The after-action report called the January blaze a "once in a lifetime cataclysmic event" and praised the heroic actions of many officers, but said the LAPD's missteps presented a "valuable learning opportunity" with more climate-related disasters likely looming in the future.