BLACKOUT BACKUP PLANS BUSINESSES PREPARE FOR ROLLING POWER OUTAGES.

Byline: Lisa Mascaro and Patricia Farrell Aidem Staff Writers

SANTA CLARITA - Forget about preparing for the Big One.

With threats of rolling blackouts becoming almost commonplace, businesses and law enforcement are bracing for power outages that could leave stores and streets in the dark.

From handing out flashlights upon check-in at the Hilton Garden Inn in Valencia to keeping the doors open for emergency supplies at Home Depot, businesses are working to avert problems.

``We're like everybody else - we have to sit and wait. If the lights go out, you put your plan in action, If they don't, you wait for the next opportunity,'' said Charles Gill, regional manager at the Valencia Town Center, which has cut accent lighting and turned off decorative fountains to conserve power.

Generators would power the mall's common area lights, but the mall would set up stop signs outside to keep traffic moving in case signals go out.

``We hope cooler heads are going to prevail and avert a rolling blackout. If they do occur, we're prepared to respond to make sure our customers are taken care of,'' Gill said.

Santa Clarita came close to a rolling blackout Thursday as officials said power supplies in the statewide system hit critically low levels.

No sooner had Southern California Edison officials made preparations for the blackouts than more power was purchased and the crisis averted.

Still, the area continues to brace for possible power cuts as the state weathers the power crunch.

At Mervyn's in Valencia, store officials already stock flashlights by the registers for any emergency, while Target is relying on generators to power the stores in case of an outage.

``We think we can keep our business moving forward,'' said Dave Slingsby, Target's regional director in Southern California.

Santa Clarita sheriff's officials said they plan to send deputies out to key intersections to keep traffic flowing if lights are down.

``All we can do is get out there and try to direct the busiest intersections,'' said Lt. Steve Dolan. ``They're like choke points. If you don't address that with traffic control (they) could choke up the city . . . 6 in the evening it would be a big deal.''

At the Hilton Garden Inn, residents checking in last week were given room keys - and flashlights.

General Manager Jennifer Dinardo said while a backup generator would cover emergency lighting during an outage, it's not powerful enough to light up each guest room.

The hotel has been locating all its guests in one part of the hotel and was programming its switchboard to call each room if management receives the 15-minute warning of a pending blackout.

She noted that the hotel would also make sure to check on disabled guests, and housekeepers would be called on to help guests make their way in the dark.

``With an earthquake, it's definitely reactive,'' she said. ``But for this, it's just a day-to-day monitoring.''

At the Home Depot in Valencia - and most of its stores in the West - the goal is not only to keep the lights on during an outage but keep ringing up sales.

The stores have emergency generators that would kick in to power lights and cash registers, said Home Depot spokesman Chuck Sifuentes.

``A lot of consumers in the community would rush into the stores to buy flashlights, batteries and other emergency types of products,'' said Sifuentes. ``We need to have these systems in place.''

He added, ``The people in the store would continue to do their thing - shop.''

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Photo:

(color) Jennifer Dinardo, general manager of Valencia's Hilton Garden Inn, checks the flashlight supply in case of an outage.

David R. Crane/Staff Photographer