Loss of economic activity because businesses can’t open, schools closed, perishable foods going bad, mobile phones can’t be charged and people with medical dependencies unable to plug in life sustaining equipment. These are all things that are commonly seen in the aftermath of a disaster that can hinder a community’s recovery and even lead to additional injuries and deaths. In the case of California’s blackouts, these effects are occurring in the name of preventing disasters.

California’s largest utility, Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) shut down power to more than half a million people to prevent wildfires. This is a precautionary measure due to high winds and other conditions that are similar to those last year when PG&E equipment sparked some the deadliest wildfires in California’s history. The hope is that these power outages will avoid similar catastrophes. But even in the absence of an acute disaster, lives are still disrupted as if there has been a disaster. It is just at a lower intensity, and spread out over a much wider geography.