Community Corner
PG&E: Power Outages Spike at Valentine's Day
Mylar balloons that fly away get tangled on power lines and cause outages.
Come mid-February, PG&E has a new nemesis—those shiny, heart-shaped, metallic-looking balloons.
Mylar balloons have caused hundreds of power outages over the years, with the number increasing by more than 100 percent since 2003, according the the utility.
PG&E stated that the loose balloons often get entangled in power lines, causing blackouts, disrupting neighborhoods and threatening to cause serious injury.
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The chart below (also in the photos section) shows the growing number of balloon-related power outages over the last decade.
Year Balloon-related power outages 2003 129 2006 142 2009 213 2012 288So this Valentine’s Day, public works crews and PG&E ask you to tie those balloons to something safe, or keep them inside and deflate them once the day is over.
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And remember, just because the balloon goes flat doesn't mean your love has!
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