(U-WIRE) LA JOLLA, Calif.--The power crisis that left thousands of Californians in the dark during the past week has forced the University of California at San Diego to prepare for the possibility of rolling blackouts.
Wendy Schiefer, manager of customer relations at Physical Plant Services, said the UCSD campus is in electrical stage three emergency, which means there is a threat to the electrical system reliability and an increased possibility of the campus experiencing rolling power outages.
Schiefer said that under stage three emergencies, students are asked to reduce electrical usage as much as possible and refrain from any sensitive research that requires electrical power.
\Some people may not take the energy crisis seriously,"" Schiefer said. ""But they may find out the hard way when the power goes out.""
Yolanda Trevino, assistant resident dean, said all UCSD colleges have taken steps to inform residents of the need to conserve energy.
""We've sent out e-mails and community bulletins to residents, asking them to conserve energy as much as possible,"" Trevino said.
Trevino said that the resident life offices are asking students to turn off their personal computers when they are not in use, to back up all computer files, to turn off extra lights and to have flashlights and fresh batteries on hand.
With the UCSD campus renowned for its research and medical communities, measures have been taken to prevent the possibility of power loss to render any effect on their work.
Kim McDonald, UCSD director of science communications, said the biology division has taken steps to inform the labs to be prepared in the event of power outage and to conserve energy as much as possible.
""We've warned all the labs that they should make sure that critical equipment is on emergency circuits,"" McDonald said. ""Most of the lab buildings have emergency generators that will come on to keep animal facilities and critical equipment running, but we are mostly hoping that we dodge the bullet somehow.""
Neighboring Thornton and Hillcrest Hospitals have also undergone measures in order to safeguard against possible rolling blackouts.
Director of Facilities Dennis Goodrich said the hospitals have back-up emergency generators that ensure all life-saving equipment remains operational.
