Power Restored to 325,000 Customers of 970,000 Impacted by Safety Shutoff
For Wind Event Starting Tuesday, Oct. 29, PG&E Moving Forward with Public Safety Power Shutoff for 605,000 Customers
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) continues to restore customers impacted by the Oct. 26 Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), as it works to prepare for an additional shutoff planned to begin Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Updates on Oct. 26 PSPS:
- As of 4:30 p.m. today, more than 325,000 customers had been restored.
- Crews have been inspecting de-energized lines and repairing wind-related damage since receiving the all-clear Monday morning.
- PG&E so far has more than 20 preliminary reports of damage on its system during the extreme wind.
- PG&E needs to inspect more than 32,000 miles of the electric system before fully restoring power—longer than the circumference of the Earth. Restoration will occur in stages depending on inspections and any repairs of wind damage to the electric system.
- More than 6,300 on-the-ground field personnel are available, as well as 46 helicopters. Helicopter inspections may be impacted by firefighting efforts in some areas.
- To assist in the restoration process, PG&E has requested mutual aid of 1,000 workers from other energy companies.
- A total of approximately 970,000 customers in portions of the following 37 counties were impacted by shutoffs during this historic weather event: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
- In addition, approximately 100,000 customers lost power due to wind-related outages on the system in areas that were not de-energized. Of those customers, about 65,000 had been restored as of 4 p.m. today.
Updates on PSPS Scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29
As a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the next severe and widespread wind event in the forecast for Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Wednesday, Oct. 30, PG&E confirmed Monday that it will implement a PSPS in portions of 29 counties, affecting electric service for up to 605,000 customers.
Portions of the following counties are currently expected to be impacted: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
The severe wind event is expected to start Tuesday morning in the North Valley, North Bay and Sierra Foothills; Tuesday afternoon in the southern Sierra Foothills; Tuesday evening in Kern County; and very early Wednesday in the Bay Area. The weather should clear in all areas by mid-day Wednesday.
Important Advisory
It is possible that customers impacted by the Oct. 26 PSPS could be part of the Oct. 29 shutoff. It’s also possible that power restoration for some customers impacted by the Oct. 26 shutoff will not be complete before the next safety shutoff must begin.
PG&E will continue working to reduce the scope of this next event. For customers who are restored between events, PG&E urges them to use the time to charge any medical equipment, phones and other electronic devices and restock emergency kits.
Customer Notifications
PG&E has notified customers who could potentially be affected by the next PSPS event via text, email and automated phone calls.
Customers enrolled in the company’s Medical Baseline program who do not verify that they have received these important safety communications will be individually visited by a PG&E employee when possible. A primary focus will be given to those customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment.
Community Resource Centers
PG&E has opened Community Resource Centers in several locations. These centers will be open during daylight hours, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., until power has been restored. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 will be available at each of these facilities. Locations of these centers are listed at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
How Customers Can Prepare
As part of PSPS preparedness efforts, PG&E is asking customers to:
- Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration or devices that need power.
- Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers.
- Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies and cash.
- Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and pets.
- Learn more about wildfire risk and what to do before, during and after an emergency to keep your family safe at PG&E’s Safety Action Center.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s cleanest energy to 16 million people in Northern and Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com andwww.pge.com/news.
