Power outage strikes the Mission during peak business hours

Power went out all over the Mission, Bernal, Excelsior and Merced areas of San Francisco Tuesday at 1 p.m. today. Pacific Gas & Electric said it could take up to four hours to get electricity back. Due to high winds forecasted through Wednesday, the city may see a number of outages and emergency situations.

All was well by 2:15 p.m. but, by then, some businesses had already closed for the day. 

Workers and customers poured out of businesses and into the streets, where traffic lights were dark and only a few cars obeyed the four-way-stop rule.

“If there’s no power, we can’t work. It’s as simple as that,” said Lisa, a manager of Cafe La Taza on Mission Street between 21st and 22nd streets. They were closing the register and shutting their doors.

“We gotta go home,” said Wais from Old Mission Barbershop Mission Street, next door to La Taza. “We just gave away a free haircut.” 

They left one customer with his hair half-done and a promise to make it up tomorrow. Without good lighting or electricity for clippers, they couldn’t do the job.

Los Portales, a medical center on Mission, had to turn away dozens of patients out of the hundreds they see every day.

“This is very dangerous for elderly people and people in wheelchairs,” said Ruth Ortiz, a worker at Los Portales. “With our elevators broken, advocates are having to carry people in their chairs down these concrete stairs,” where risk of injury is high.

A family of four climbed down the stairs, the mother carrying a bulky stroller and bags. A man in a wheelchair “shimmied” his way down two flights of stairs.