PG&E planned power shutoffs begin in the Bay Area
PG&E began shutting off power to customers in four Bay Area counties Wednesday night as a preemptive measure against potentially hazardous fire conditions that have moved into the area. The conditions are expected to persist through Saturday, which could leave as many as 11,000 in the dark into the weekend.
OAKLAND, Calif. – Pacific Gas and Electric is starting to shut off power as part of their planned power outages due to a fire weather system that moved into the state on Wednesday. The utility had alerted 29 California counties that they may be affected. As many as 11,408 customers in five Bay Area counties could see their power go out.
By Wednesday night, residents in Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa and Sonoma saw their power get shutoff. Solano County has been alerted too, but so far has not seen power outages in the early stages of this event. Napa and Contra Costa County are seeing the highest number of outages so far.
Fire weather & potential power outages
The shutoffs are a preemptive measure to help prevent wildfires from being sparked by the utility’s equipment.
The system with these fire danger conditions is expected to continue through Saturday morning. The outages could last for days. The current prediction from PG&E is that they would be able to restore power by Saturday, if not sooner.
PG&E started notifying its customers earlier this week about the potential for these outages, including those in the Bay Area. The utility said they will notify customers between one and four hours before power is shut off.
Number of Bay Area PG&E customers potentially affected by shutoffs Alameda – 4,705 customersContra Costa – 1,605 customersNapa – 3,027 customersSolano – 30 customersSonoma – 2,041 customers Be prepared
PG&E says customers who have already been notified should be prepared if a public safety power shutoff occurs.
The utility advises customers to charge their phones, medical equipment and other devices. Have flashlights with fresh batteries available and to avoid using candles. Have a supply of drinking water available along with nonperishable food items and necessary medication.
Finding information
You can find out more from PG&E about these potential power shutoffs on their website. You can look up your shutoff status by address, and you can see the approximate shutoff outage map.
The utility is planning to open more than 40 community resource centers across the state during the power shutoff event. These centers provide ADA-accessible restrooms, Wi-Fi, blankets, air conditioning, bottled water, snacks and other supplies.
Dry weather conditions
The National Weather Service described the conditions as “near-critical fire weather” for the North and East Bay interior mountains. The overnight winds will lead to dry air or a lack of humidity and the potential for extreme fire behavior.
Fire danger
Sonoma Valley Fire District Battalion Chief Gary Johnson said most of the areas in his jurisdiction are agricultural lands that are less populated. “We don’t have to worry about evacuations,” he said. Johnson said the utility has improved in pinpointing these public safety power shutoffs.
“I think this PSPS event, years ago, would have affected 20,000 customers. Not this one. I think for all of Sonoma County is only 2,000 customers,” said Johnson.