As most people did, I only learned of the power outage on Tuesday afternoon, while I was at work. Once my workday was over, I waited in a long line for gasoline at 6 p.m., and then went to the local market, where I bought some nonperishable foods. By the time I got there, all the flashlights, batteries, water — and strangely, all the bananas — were gone. I did the best I could to prepare for not having any power for up to five days, but how do you plan for that? There was no time to prepare for this outage; it came with just a few hours’ warning.

We’ve learned to be cautious and leery this time of year; 2019 is proving to be no different.

— Sari Meline, Santa Rosa

The way this whole debacle is being handled is a joke! 48 hours’ notice? Didn’t happen. Most people haven’t even had 24 hours’ notice.

That one company has the ability to disrupt safety, quality of life and livelihood for so many people simply because they chose to funnel profits to executives and investors instead of into improving their equipment and making it safer and up-to-date is inexcusable.

Are we all supposed to go out and buy generators, the cheapest of which are still hundreds of dollars and run on gasoline? The Bay Area is a technology powerhouse, yet why is truly affordable solar not standard on every rooftop?

— Michele Walczak Safine, Walnut Creek

[Read more: Could a virtual power plant counter the upfront costs for residential solar energy?]

And help us learn more: If you are affected by a planned outage, how are you dealing with it? What kinds of challenges have you faced? Email us at CAtoday@nytimes.com.