PG&E Restores Nearly All Customers Following Historic Winter Storm, Prepares for More Snow and Rain Next Week
January 31 2021 - 5:55PM
Business Wire
New Weather System Expected to Bring Unsettled
Conditions to Service Area Beginning Monday
PG&E crews have restored nearly all customers who lost
electricity following a powerful “atmospheric river” weather system
that battered the company’s service area with days of
record-breaking rain, snow and wind.
As of 2:00pm about 98 percent of the nearly 944,000 customers
who lost power during the storm had their power restored. The
remainder of customers are primarily located in hard-hit areas
where roads remain closed due to heavy snowfall, debris flows, or
other damage. PG&E will continue to work to gain access to
these customers and restore power as safely and as quickly as
possible.
Even as the PG&E crews work to overcome such obstacles and
reconnect service safely and as quickly as possible, meteorologists
are monitoring a new winter system that could bring more wet and
stormy weather to Northern and Central California starting
Monday.
“We want to thank our customers and our communities that we are
privileged to serve for their support and their patience in the
aftermath of this severe storm,” said Sumeet Singh, PG&E’s
interim president. “Since this historic storm started, more than
5,000 of PG&E’s field team members, contract partners and
mutual assistance support from other utilities have worked
tirelessly to inspect our system, repair significant damage and
restore power to our customers in the hardest hit areas. We
recognize the frustration and inconvenience caused by prolonged
outages and are sincerely grateful for the understanding of all
those who have been impacted.”
Restoration Effort
Since midnight on Tuesday, Jan. 26, through Saturday morning,
more than 944,000 PG&E customers lost power due to heavy wind,
rain and snow. PG&E found more than 1,500 instances of damaged
infrastructure where equipment needs to be replaced or repaired,
including 365 broken poles and 1,417 spans of wire.
At the peak of the restoration effort, more than 450 crews were
working to assess and repair damage and restore power as safely and
as quickly as possible for customers.
Based on 30 years of weather data, PG&E meteorologists
describe this week’s storm as the strongest since 2011 and say that
it caused the highest two-day and three-day outage totals since
2010.
Winter Weather Ahead
PG&E’s meteorology team forecasts a relatively cold and
strong weather system will move through the company’s service area
late Monday into Tuesday. Customers who may be impacted are
encouraged to review storm safety tips and take the necessary
precautions to stay safe during winter weather.
Storm safety tips
- Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line,
assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try
to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power
lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at
1-800-743-5002.
- Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use
battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of
fire. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes,
lampshades and small children. Do not leave candles
unattended.
- Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that
requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering
machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready
as a backup.
- Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers
filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your
refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent foods from
spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the
freezer.
- Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight yard
structures and decorative lawn items should be secured as they can
be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines and
property.
- Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric
generators should make sure they are properly installed by a
licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly
installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as
well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators,
be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
- Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug or
turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits
and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a
single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your
appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to
normal.
- Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to safely
clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 811 or visit
811express.com at least two full business days before digging to
have all underground utilities safely marked.
Customers can find additional tips at pge.com/beprepared.
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 23,000 employees, the company delivers
some of the nation's cleanest energy to 16 million people in
Northern and Central California. For more information, visit
pge.com and pge.com/news.
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