California power grid shutdown for 5 days

Absolutely incredible. Power grid shutdown in large piece of California like it's a third world country. 
Pre-emptive to prevent fires the company says. But instead people will fire up generators, bbq's and bonfires... 
Seriously weird shit, how is it possible a energy company has so much power it can pull such a trick on 1 million customers, just like that?

Fucking outrageous...people should move,i would.

That video is from 2011, almost 9 years ago.  

I wonder what happened with the project, and if the inventor is still alive.