PG&E Has Turned Off Power for Safety in Portions of 15 Counties in Sierra Foothills and North Bay

Power Shutoffs Also Expected to Impact about 1,000 Customers in San Mateo and Kern Counties around 1:00 a.m. Thursday

PG&E’s Emergency Operations Center is Monitoring an Additional Dry, Offshore Wind Event this Weekend

SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) confirmed today that it has implemented a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in 15 counties in the Sierra Foothills and North Bay—Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sierra, Sonoma, Tehama and Yuba—impacting about 178,000 customers in those areas.


Power shutoffs are planned for portions of San Mateo County, affecting about 1,000 customers, and Kern County, affecting about 30 customers, and are expected to begin around 1:00 a.m. Thursday.

In total, the current PSPS is expected to impact approximately 179,000 customers in 17 counties. It is possible that additional customers not impacted by PSPS may experience power outages due to PG&E equipment damaged during the wind event; those customers will not be notified in advance. For a list of impacted customer counts and cities per county, see www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

Customer Notifications

PG&E notified potentially impacted customers via automated calls, texts and emails—for those customers who’ve provided their contact information:

  • Monday, October 21 (48 hours prior);
  • Tuesday, October 22 (24 hours prior); and
  • Again today (0 to 4 hours prior).

Reasons for a PSPS

The sole intent of a PSPS is to prevent a catastrophic wildfire sparked by electrical equipment during extreme weather events. This PSPS decision was based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather, which poses a higher risk for damage and sparks on the electric system as well as rapid wildfire spread.

It is very possible that customers may be affected by a power shutoff even though they are not experiencing extreme weather conditions in their specific location. This is because the electric system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions.

All-Clear, Safety Inspections and Restoration

Forecasts indicate the peak period of winds should end about noon Thursday in the Sierra Foothills, North Bay and San Mateo County, and around noon Friday in Kern County.

Once the high winds subside, PG&E crews will inspect the de-energized lines to ensure they were not damaged during the wind event. PG&E will then safely restore power in stages as quickly as possible, with the goal of restoring the vast majority of customers within 48 hours after the weather has passed.

In the area impacted by the PSPS, PG&E will need to conduct safety inspections of more than 8,000 miles of distribution lines and nearly 650 miles of transmission lines—the combined equivalent distance of two roundtrips from Chico to Chicago. Resources standing by to support the inspections and restoration include nearly 6,000 on-the-ground field personnel and 42 helicopters.

“The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this severe wind event. We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public’s patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire,” said Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations.

Monitoring and Preparing for Potential PSPS This Weekend

PG&E is also monitoring and preparing for an additional wind event starting Saturday, October 26, which may require further shutoffs. Early forecasts show that this has the potential to be widespread across PG&E’s service area in Northern and Central California with significant winds.

PG&E encourages customers currently without power to recharge phones and devices and restock emergency kits during periods of restored power. PG&E will provide more information about this potential event as it has a clearer view of the weather.

Current Community Resource Centers

To support customers in the affected areas, PG&E will open several Community Resource Centers. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 will be available at these facilities. Locations are below, and more are being confirmed. View the most updated list of center locations at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

The following centers are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Thursday and stay open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the remainder of the shutoff:

COUNTY

CITY

SITE NAME

ADDRESS

Alpine

Bear Valley

Bear Valley Transportation Center

132 Bear Valley Road

Amador

Jackson

St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Parish

11361 Prospect Drive

Amador

Pioneer

Mace Meadows Golf Course

26570 Fairway Drive

Butte

Chico

Costco – Butte

2100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway

Butte

Magalia

Strip Mall

14144 Lakeridge Court

Butte

Oroville

Bird Street School

1421 Bird Street

Calaveras

Arnold

Meadowmont Shopping Center

2182 Highway 4

Calaveras

Murphys

Black Bart Players

580 South Algiers Street

El Dorado

Georgetown

Buffalo Hill Center

6023 Front Street 37

El Dorado

Placerville

Former County Sheriff's Office

300 Fair Lane

El Dorado

Pollock Pines

Knotty Pine Lanes

2667 Sanders Dr #1

Lake

Lakeport

Konocti Vista Casino

2755 Mission Rancheria Road

Lake

Middletown

Twin Pine Casino & Hotel

22223 CA-29

Napa

Calistoga

Calistoga Fairgrounds

1435 North Oak Street

Napa

Saint Helena

Saint Helena Catholic School

1255 Oak Avenue

Nevada

Grass Valley

Sierra College – Grass Valley

250 Sierra College Drive

Nevada

Penn Valley

Penn Valley Community Church

11739 Spenceville Road

Nevada

Nevada City

Nevada City Elks Lodge

518 State Highway 49

Placer

Auburn

Gold County Fairgrounds

209 Fairgate Road

Placer

Forest Hill

Canyon View Assembly Church

23221 Forest Hill Road

Placer

Lincoln

McBean Pavillion Parking Lot

75 McBean Park Drive

San Mateo

La Honda

La Honda Fire Brigade

8945 La Honda Rd

Sonoma

Cloverdale

Cloverdale Citrus Fair

1 Citrus Fair

Sonoma

Santa Rosa

Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building

1351 Maple Avenue

Sonoma

Sonoma

Hanna Boys Center

17000 Arnold Drive

Yuba

Oregon House

Alcouffe Center

9185 Marysville Road

Calaveras

West Point

Veterans of Foreign Wars post 3322

202 Spink Road

Mendocino

Potter Valley

Potter Valley Bible Church

10151 Main Street

Generator safety

  • Backup electric generators can be a part of any preparedness plan, but they can also pose unique safety hazards.
  • It’s important to understand how to safely operate your generator before an emergency occurs. This means doing regular safety checks and being sure you have enough fuel to last a few days. If you don’t understand how to use your generator, you risk damaging your property, endangering your life and endangering the lives of others.
  • Position your generator where its exhaust can vent safely to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal. Never run a portable generator in the garage or in the rain, and never store generator fuel in the house.
  • Additional tips on the safe use of generators can be found at PG&E’s Safety Action Center at www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com.

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 and www.pge.com/news.


Contacts

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