With asphalt-melting temperatures zapping power transformers and turning out the lights in communities across the nation, a heat wave in the west spawned "Stage One" and "Stage Two" power alerts in California where utility officials sought voluntary reductions in energy use.

If that doesn't work, the dreaded "Stage Three" alert follows with a schedule of controlled, but mandatory blackouts to reduce the strain on the grid.

Luckily, Californians, perhaps unlike residents in any other state, can get plenty of notice before blackouts roll through their neighborhood, flash defrosting the roast or leaving the household feeling like toast.

California's unique Emergency Digital Information Service (EDIS) offered by California's Office of Emergency Services (OES), added power alerts, including blackout bulletins, to its list of other digitally delivered emergency and disaster bulletins. The addition came in the early 2000s after unannounced power outages really steamed residents already sweltering in a heat wave then.

EDIS is a combination website, newswire and 24-hour broadcast service that authorized agencies use to release text, images and audio information about emergency and disaster conditions.

It's the same system the state uses to quickly disseminate "Amber Alerts" (child abductions), weather warnings, fire conditions, earthquakes and other emergency events, along with blackouts and power use alerts.

Should the state's energy traffic controller, California Independent System Operator (CAISO) issue a "Stage Three" alert, calling for rolling blackouts -- officially known as "rotating outages" -- residents listen for their "Rotating Outage Block" number clearly indicated on utility statements.

During Stage Three alerts, local power companies flip the switch off and on in several or more outage blocks at a time for short periods to avoid a major blackout that could suddenly leave many more homes and businesses in the dark for a much longer period. The blackouts are announced by block numbers 48 hours, 24 hours and 1 hour in advance to give residents time to prepare.

Keep in mind, all blackouts are not predictable. Power plants fail without warning, energy producers' maintenance schedules can inadvertently include down time during periods of high energy demand, and other power grid events can occur quickly.

But anyone can get free access to information about blackouts and other emergency events before they happen or soon after, depending upon the event.

In addition to the state's own online bulletins, alerts can be emailed to you, sent to your pager or delivered by packet radio (a form of digital radio) from a host of providers.

Some providers also offer the service by cellphone and PDA (personal digital assistant). Some cellphones and PDAs with cellphone capability can be configured to alert you when email arrives from a given sender.

OES doesn't endorse any provider, but after the state's own online emergency information service was created, Incident.com was the original provider to reach out electronically to the public with an uncomplicated interface that allows anyone to sign up for the service, by region and by alert type.

In addition to California's EDIS, the federal Emergency Alert System, (formerly the Emergency Broadcast System) is planning digital access to emergency bulletins and it gives a rundown on emergency information systems provided by other states.

With the convenience of digital delivery often comes the need for you to relinquish some personal information for electronic delivery purposes. Always read and know the privacy policy of services that gather your personal information.

Finally, a word about power use to help avoid energy drain that could lead to blackouts, announced and unannounced.

Conserve.

Published: July 26, 2006

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Broderick Perkins parlayed a career in old-school journalism into a contemporary digital news service that really hits home. The award-winning consumer journalist, originally from Wilmington, DE, is founder, publisher and executive editor of the bootstrap DeadlineNews Group, a Silicon Valley-based editorial content and consulting service specializing in residential real estate, consumer news and related editorial consulting services. The DeadlineNews Group includes the Web site, DeadlineNews.Com, offering real estate editorial content and consulting services, and its back shop, the Deadline Newsroom, an open house on news that really hits home. Perkins obtained his formal journalism education from University of Delaware and a journalism boot camp, the Institute of Journalism Education at the University of California-Berkeley. He went on to 20 years of service as a daily newspaper journalist at the Wilmington, DE News Journal and San Jose, CA Mercury News. Perkins covered housing on the San Jose Mercury News reporting team which earned a General News Reporting Pulitzer Prize in 1989 for coverage of the Loma Prieta earthquake. He has also produced real estate, consumer and small business content for the Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, RealtyTimes.com, Nolo.com, Better Homes and Gardens, the National Association of Realtors, Homestore/Move and Intuit/Quicken among more than three dozen publications. In addition to managing the DeadlineNews Group, Perkins most recently served as chief editorial consultant for "Nolo's Essential Guide To Buying Your First Home" (Nolo $24.99) and writes real estate television scripts for RealtyTimes.com.