As 's power grid gets hit amid a relentless heatwave, it turns out that a text message sent to 27 million residents played a crucial role in helping to avoid rolling blackouts. On Tuesday, energy demand amidst the record-shattering heatwave hit a record 52,061 megawatts, prompting grid manager California Independent System Operator (CAISO) to a level 3 Energy Emergency Alert, its highest, at 5:17 pm. The agency made it clear that rolling blackouts could happen. At 5:45 pm, the Governor's Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) issued a cell phone alert - that went out to about 27 million residents in 26 counties - in English and Spanish :
Load More
Load More