‘A trapped family should be a priority’: California family of 6 stuck inside home for days after power line blocks gate

By Josie Heart

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    GALT, California (KCRA) — From piling on blankets to using camping gear, a family of six in Galt is doing what they can to get through an ongoing power outage in their neighborhood.

This happened to them after a tree knocked down a power pole next to their property on New Year’s Eve.

This also knocked out power for multiple surrounding homes in the Sacramento County community.

Lawrence White said his family spent several days without heat, lights, and was soon to run out of food and water.

But this family’s biggest concern was the downed wires from the power line that landed right in front of their gates.

As of Tuesday evening, the family says Sacramento Municipal Utility District (SMUD) crews have cleared out the wires, and they are now able to leave and find alternative shelter. This came as a relief after a difficult few days.

The Whites relied on a nearby well for their water needs and to hydrate their roughly 20 farm animals. However, that source was also close to running out.

“We can drink bottled water, but we can’t effectively do that for the animals,” White said. “We’re draining our swimming pool and boiling the water, but that’s a long process to get the chlorine out so we can feed it to the animals.”

Bright green traffic cones lined the spots where the wires lay as a warning not to cross the line for those who came too close.

White’s family has not crossed that line in days, fearing the wires could be live.

He says fire crews had gone out to observe the area days prior but couldn’t immediately confirm.

“We ask people, if they see downed power lines, downed wires, we ask them to assume that they are live,” said Lindsay Vanlaningham with SMUD. “Don’t touch them.”

The White family did just that.

In the days that they awaited answers, White says his children could only get to school by treading through their flooded yard to climb a ladder onto the top of a shed and over a fence where they were picked up by friends.

White was grateful he had neighbors there to help pass over his mail, water, and other supplies.

Lawrence Thornhill is one of those neighbors.

“We help in any way we can,” Thornhill said. “I’m more concerned about them. Especially with the wires and the water on the ground.”

A couple had even tried to connect their water hoses to reach the White home but were unsuccessful.

It was tough for officials to say when they could address the downed wires.

“I can’t speak to this specific family, but it looks like we have several power poles out in Galt,” Vanlaningham said. “We don’t expect power restoration until the 5th, which is two more days.”

Several maintenance crews across the Sacramento region have worked around the clock to handle high call volumes and restore power in multiple affected areas.

Vanlaningham says their priorities have been based on the level of safety for residents and workers, adding that harsh weather conditions can also cause a delay on response times.

Fortunately for the White family, that help came sooner, but White couldn’t help but feel it wasn’t soon enough.

“I understand the work crews are all working hard. They’re doing what they can, but there should be some priority,” White said. “A trapped family should be a priority.’

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