Flex Alert Issued In Malibu

MALIBU, CA — The state of California has issued a Flex Alert, calling on residents to voluntarily cut their power use amid a blistering heat wave.

The California Independent System Operator, which manages the state’s power grid, announced Wednesday that a Flex Alert will be in effect from 5 to 10 pm Thursday.

The Flex Alert is a call for voluntary energy conservation, asking residents to cut their power usage to avoid the risk of outages.

Cal-ISO said Wednesday that it would have enough supplies to last through Thursday, but urged residents to “remain vigilant” should demand increase and threaten the availability of power reserves, which often happens during heat waves as everyone cranks up their air conditioning all day and night.

The ISO recommends setting the thermostat to 78 degrees or higher, avoiding use of major appliances, turning off unnecessary lights, using fans to cool homes, and unplugging unused items.

Conservation during evening hours is especially important, the ISO said, because solar production is down, but power usage can be high.

“We will be relying on Californians to be partners in protecting grid reliability in this heat event and throughout the summer, when needed,” the ISO said Wednesday.

Malibu has been cooler than inland cities, but it is still unusually warm for the city. Temperatures reached 85 Wednesday, and are expected to remain in the lower 80s the rest of the week. A Heat Advisory remains in place until Thursday at 9 p.m., and sporadic blackouts have occurred throughout the week.

Five Flex Alerts were issued in 2020, in comparison to one in 2019 and two in 2018, according to ISO data.

Malibuites can also conserve power by heading to nearby air-conditioned cooling centers at Westlake Village Library, Topanga Library, and other locations throughout LA County:

• Westlake Village Library, 31220 W. Oak Crest Drive, Westlake Village; open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• Topanga Library, 122 N. Topanga Canyon Road, Topanga; open Monday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m., Tuesday from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m.
• OneGeneration Senior Enrichment Center, 18255 Victory Boulevard, Reseda; open Monday through Friday from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.

See the County website for a full list of sites.