New and Expanded Resources Can Help Customers Prepare for Possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs as Windy Season Approaches
October 06 2022 - 11:39AM
Business Wire
October and November Weather Conditions Could
Elevate the Potential for Public Safety Power Shutoffs as a Last
Resort to Prevent Wildfires
To make sure customers stay safe during planned wildfire safety
outages, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) offers new and
expanded customer resources in case Public Safety Power Shutoffs
(PSPS) are needed this autumn. Because high winds may cause trees
and debris to contact energized lines and possibly start a
wildfire, PG&E may need to turn off power during dry, windy
weather.
Each year, PG&E enhances the PSPS program by further
refining the ability to identify and mitigate catastrophic wildfire
risk. There was an 88% reduction in customers impacted by PSPS in
2021 compared to 2020, and a 43% reduction in the duration of
outages during a PSPS in 2021 compared to 2019.
“System improvements and favorable weather meant that PSPS
affected fewer customers last year than in 2020 and 2019,” said
Mark Quinlan, Vice President of Electric System Operations at
PG&E. “PG&E continues to use PSPS as a last resort to
prevent catastrophic wildfires. Every day, PG&E is working hard
to respond to the state’s changing climate, reduce wildfire risk
across every part of the service territory and make the system
safer.”
This year, PG&E is providing customers with several tools to
help them prepare and stay safe during a planned power outage:
- The Generator and Battery Rebate
Program has expanded to provide a $300 rebate to
customers located in Tier 2 or 3 High Fire-Threat Districts (HFTD)
and/or served by an Enhanced Powerline Safety Settings
(EPSS)-protected circuit. If the customer is located outside of an
HFTD but is served by an EPSS-capable circuit, they must have
experienced two or more recent PSPS to qualify.
- Hotel discounts are now available as a new resource for
customers who are experiencing a PSPS. PG&E is teaming up with
IHG Hotels & Resorts, Hyatt, Choice, and Wyndham Hotels to
offer customers discounted rooms as a safe space during a power
outage.
- Transportation to Community Resource Centers (CRCs) has
been expanded to provide accessible transportation to and from CRCs
to customers in Shasta, El Dorado, Fresno, Marin, Sonoma, Solano,
Stanislaus, San Joaquin, Tuolumne, Amador, Calaveras, and San
Francisco Counties during a PSPS.
- Customers who depend on power for medical devices or assistive
technologies may qualify for the Disability Disaster Access and Resources (DDAR)
Program, a collaboration between PG&E and the
California Foundation for Independent Living Centers. The program
assists those who have medical and independent living needs with:
- Creating an emergency plan
- Signing up for the Medical Baseline Program
- Applying for a portable backup battery
- Obtaining ADA-accessible car rides and/or hotel stays during a
PSPS
- Receiving food replacement during and after a PSPS
Customer Notifications
PG&E shares information in advance of and during PSPS
outages as soon as possible. New this year, notifications will be
sent both day and night, depending on when the dry, windy weather
occurs and power will be out. PG&E understands this may mean
customers are called at night and recognizes the inconvenience this
may pose. In previous years, PG&E has not sent notifications
between the hours of 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. However, due to requirements
from the California Public Utilities Commission (CPUC), the policy
has been updated. Although weather conditions can be uncertain,
PG&E aims to send notifications via calls, texts and emails two
days ahead of a PSPS, one day ahead, just before shutting off
power, once power is turned off and daily until power is restored.
PG&E will also send notifications if a PSPS outage is no longer
expected. Customers can ensure their contact information is current
by visiting pge.com/myalerts.
Address Alerts
Customers can receive PSPS notifications for any important
address such as their parents’ home, their children’s school or
their business via text or phone call in 16 languages. Customers
and non-account holders can sign up for Address Alerts at
pge.com/addressalerts.
Wildfire Safety Video Hub
To help customers prepare for possible emergencies due to
increasing wildfire risk, PG&E is expanding its wildfire safety
and preparedness online toolkit. A new online Wildfire Safety Videos hub serves as a
one-stop shop with easy-to-navigate videos about customer support
and wildfire safety initiatives.
An in-depth look at customer resources before, during and after
a PSPS is available at pge.com/pspsresources. Information about
how PG&E is working every day to reduce wildfire risk can be
found at pge.com/cwsp.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric
utility serving more than 16 million people across 70,000 square
miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
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