As Winter Rain and Snow Hit California, PG&E Is Prepared to Respond to Storm Related Outages
November 07 2022 - 5:19PM
Business Wire
As rain and snow move into California, emergency crews across
the Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) service area are
ready to safely respond to possible storm-related outages.
Stormy weather that entered the area beginning Sunday is
expected to bring widespread rain showers to much of the state and
snow to some areas, potentially as low as at 2,500 feet, in Sierra
Nevada. Another wave of gusty winds is expected along with moderate
rain and heavy snow Tuesday morning, followed by the potential for
thunderstorms in the afternoon.
Safety Crews and Equipment
In anticipation of widespread winter storm conditions, PG&E
activated its Emergency Operations Center on Sunday, Nov. 6 and has
positioned personnel and equipment to safely and quickly respond to
potential weather-related outages.
In advance of the storm, PG&E’s vegetation management crews
will be working to keep trees away from powerlines during the
forecasted wet and windy weather to reduce the risk of outages
caused by downed trees and other vegetation.
Adverse weather conditions are expected to peak on Tuesday as
unstable air and moisture remain throughout Northern California
causing widespread showers at lower elevations and snow in colder,
higher elevation locations.
Wet and hazardous weather could linger into Wednesday in some
locations ahead of mostly fair and dry conditions on Thursday.
Although another, weaker system could bring more wet weather on the
weekend.
PG&E’s meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage
Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts,
historical data and system knowledge to predict where and when
storm impacts will be most severe. This model enables the company
to pre-stage crews and equipment as storms approach to enable rapid
response to outages.
PG&E is urging its customers to take the necessary steps to
be prepared and stay safe throughout the winter.
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.
- 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 inclement weather 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.
Other tips can be found at pge.com/beprepared
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 www.pge.com/ and http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
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