An estimated 50,000 customers who might be
affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff are receiving the
initial notifications today, two days ahead of the potential
event
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has notified
customers in targeted portions of 21 counties about a potential
Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) as early as Wednesday afternoon.
Hot and dry conditions combined with expected high wind gusts pose
an increased risk for damage to the electric system that has the
potential to ignite fires in areas with dry vegetation.
High fire-risk conditions are expected to arrive Wednesday
evening. High winds are currently expected to subside Thursday
morning in some locations and Friday morning in other locations.
PG&E will then inspect the de-energized lines to ensure they
were not damaged during the wind event. PG&E will safely
restore power as quickly as possible, with the goal of restoring
most customers within 12 daylight hours, based on current weather
conditions.
While there is still uncertainty regarding the strength and
timing of this weather wind event, the shutoff is forecasted to
affect approximately 50,000 customers in targeted portions of 21
counties, including Alameda, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra
Costa, El Dorado, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San
Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma,
Tehama and Yuba.
The highest probability areas for this PSPS are the Northern
Sierra Nevada foothills; the mid and higher elevations in the
Sierra generally north of Yosemite; the North Bay mountains near
Mt. St. Helena; small pockets in the East Bay near Mt. Diablo; the
Oakland Hills east of Piedmont; the elevated terrain east of
Milpitas around the Calaveras Reservoir; and portions of the Santa
Cruz and Big Sur mountains. This is not expected to be a widespread
event in the Bay Area at this time.
Potential Public Safety Power Shutoff:
What People Should Know
The potential PSPS event is still two days away. PG&E
in-house meteorologists as well as staff in its Wildfire Safety
Operation Center and Emergency Operation Center will continue to
monitor conditions closely, and additional customer notifications
will be issued as we move closer to the potential event.
Customer notifications—via text, email and automated phone
call—began late this afternoon, approximately two days prior to the
potential shutoff. Customers enrolled in the company’s Medical
Baseline program who do not verify that they have received these
important safety communications will be individually visited by a
PG&E employee with a knock on their door when possible. A
primary focus will be given to customers who rely on electricity
for critical life-sustaining equipment.
Potentially Affected Customers
Here is a list of customers by county who could be potentially
affected by this PSPS event.
- Alameda County: 4,104 customers, 160 Medical Baseline
customers
- Amador County: 57 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
- Butte County: 11,364 customers, 986 Medical Baseline
customers
- Calaveras County: 262 customers, 17 Medical Baseline
customers
- Contra Costa County: 3,166 customers, 168 Medical Baseline
customers
- El Dorado County: 1,654 customers, 73 Medical Baseline
customers
- Lake County: 30 customers, 2 Medical Baseline customers
- Monterey County: 1,084 customers, 20 Medical Baseline
customers
- Napa County: 9,230 customers, 315 Medical Baseline
customers
- Nevada County: 224 customers, 6 Medical Baseline customers
- Placer County: 389 customers, 13 Medical Baseline
customers
- Plumas County: 350 customers, 16 Medical Baseline
customers
- San Mateo County: 1,586 customers, 51 Medical Baseline
customers
- Santa Clara County: 2,210 customers, 103 Medical Baseline
customers
- Santa Cruz County: 1,680 customers, 94 Medical Baseline
customers
- Shasta County: 4,698 customers, 396 Medical Baseline
customers
- Sierra County: 1,052 customers, 24 Medical Baseline
customers
- Solano County: 872 customers, 66 Medical Baseline
customers
- Sonoma County: 1,781 customers, 65 Medical Baseline
customers
- Tehama County: 1,230 customers, 58 Medical Baseline
customers
- Yuba County: 1,841 customers, 141 Medical Baseline
customers
- Total: 48,865 customers, 2,774 Medical Baseline customers
Why PG&E Calls a PSPS Event
Due to forecasted extreme weather conditions, PG&E is
considering proactively turning off power for safety. Windy
conditions, like those being forecast, increase the potential for
damage and hazards to PG&E’s electric infrastructure, which
could cause sparks if lines are energized. These conditions also
increase the potential for rapid fire spread.
State officials classify more than half of PG&E’s
70,000-square-mile service area in Northern and Central California
as having a high fire threat, given dry grasses and the high volume
of dead and dying trees. The state’s high-risk areas have tripled
in size over the last seven years. No single factor drives a PSPS,
as each situation is unique. PG&E carefully reviews a
combination of many criteria when determining if power should be
turned off for safety. These factors generally include, but are not
limited to:
- Low humidity levels, generally 20 percent and below
- Forecasted sustained winds generally above 25 mph and wind
gusts in excess of approximately 45 mph, depending on location and
site-specific conditions such as temperature, terrain and local
climate
- A Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather
Service
- Condition of dry fuel on the ground and live vegetation
(moisture content)
- On-the-ground, real-time observations from PG&E’s Wildfire
Safety Operations Center and observations from PG&E field
crews
New for 2020: Improved Watch and
Warning Notifications
In response to customer feedback requesting more timely
information to prepare for and plan in advance of a potential PSPS
event, PG&E will provide improved Watch and Warning
notifications this year.
Whenever possible, an initial Watch notification will be sent
two days in advance of a potential PSPS event. One day before the
potential PSPS event, an additional Watch notification will go out,
notifying customers of the possibility of a PSPS event in their
area based on forecasted conditions.
A PSPS Watch will be upgraded to a Warning when forecasted
conditions show that a safety shutoff will be needed. Whenever
possible, Warning notifications will be sent approximately four to
12 hours in advance of the power being shut off.
Both Watch and Warning notifications are directly tied to the
weather forecast, which can change rapidly.
As an example of how notifications have been improved for 2020,
customers will see the date and time when power is estimated to be
shut off as well as the estimated time for restoration. These
notifications will be provided two days before the power goes out.
Last year, the estimated time of restoration was not provided until
after the power had been turned off.
Here’s Where to Go to Learn
More
- PG&E’s emergency website (www.pge.com/pspsupdates) is now
available in 13 languages. Currently, the website is available in
English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean,
Farsi, Arabic, Hmong, Khmer, Punjabi and Japanese. Customers will
have the opportunity to choose their language of preference for
viewing the information when visiting the website.
- Customers are strongly encouraged to update their contact
information and indicate their preferred language for notifications
by visiting www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling
1-800-742-5000, where in-language support is available.
- Tenants and non-account holders can sign up to receive PSPS ZIP
Code Alerts for any area where you do not have a PG&E account
by visiting www.pge.com/pspszipcodealerts.
- PG&E has launched a new tool at its online Safety Action
Center (www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com) to help customers prepare.
By using the "Make Your Own Emergency Plan" tool and answering a
few short questions, visitors to the website can compile and
organize the important information needed for a personalized family
emergency plan. This includes phone numbers, escape routes and a
family meeting location if an evacuation is necessary.
Smaller, Shorter, Smarter PSPS
events
PG&E is learning from past PSPS events, and this year will
be making events smaller in size, shorter in length and smarter for
customers.
- Smaller in Size: This year, PG&E expects to cut
restoration times in half compared to 2019, restoring power to
nearly all customers within 12 daylight hours after severe weather
has passed, by:
- Installing approximately 600 devices that limit the size of
outages so fewer communities are without power.
- Installing microgrids that use generators to keep the
electricity on.
- Placing lines underground in targeted locations.
- Using better weather monitoring technology and installing new
weather stations.
- Shorter in Length: To make events shorter, PG&E
expects to restore customers twice as fast by:
- Expanding its helicopter fleet and using new airplanes with
infrared equipment to inspect at night.
- Deploying more PG&E and contractor crews to inspect
equipment and restore service.
- Smarter for Customers: In order to make events smarter
for customers, PG&E is:
- Providing more information and resources by improving its
website bandwidth and customer notifications, opening Community
Resource Centers and working with local agencies and critical
service providers.
- Providing more assistance before, during and after a PSPS event
by working with community-based organizations to support customers
with medical needs. This includes making it easier for eligible
customers to join and stay in the Medical Baseline program.
Due to better weather technology and mitigation efforts such as
sectionalizing devices and temporary generation, the Sept. 7-10
PSPS event affected 54% fewer customers than a comparable event
would have in 2019.
Community Resource Centers Reflect
COVID-Safety Protocols
PG&E will open Community Resource Centers (CRCs) to support
our customers.. The sole purpose of a PSPS is to reduce the risk of
major wildfires during severe weather. While a PSPS is an important
wildfire safety tool, PG&E understands that losing power
disrupts lives, especially for customers sheltering-at-home in
response to COVID-19. These temporary CRCs will be open to
customers when power is out at their homes and will provide
ADA-accessible restrooms and hand-washing stations;
medical-equipment charging; Wi-Fi; bottled water; and
non-perishable snacks.
In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, all CRCs will follow
important health and safety protocols including:
- Facial coverings and maintaining a physical distance of at
least six feet from those who are not part of the same household
will be required at all CRCs.
- Temperature checks will be administered before entering CRCs
that are located indoors.
- CRC staff will be trained in COVID-19 precautions and will
regularly sanitize surfaces and use Plexiglass barriers at
check-in.
- All CRCs will follow county and state requirements regarding
COVID-19, including limits on the number of customers permitted
indoors at any time.
Besides these health protocols, customers visiting a CRC in 2020
will experience further changes, including a different look and
feel. In addition to using existing indoor facilities, PG&E is
planning to open CRCs at outdoor, open-air sites in some locations
and use large commercial vans as CRCs in other locations. CRC
format will depend on a number of factors, including input from
local and tribal leaders. Supplies also will be handed out in
grab-and-go bags at outdoor CRCs so most customers can be on their
way quickly.
How Customers Can Prepare for a
PSPS
As part of PSPS preparedness efforts, PG&E suggests
customers:
- Plan for medical needs like medications that require
refrigeration or devices that need power.
- Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard
copies of emergency numbers.
- Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh
batteries, first aid supplies and cash.
- Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children
and pets.
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
pge.com and pge.com/news.
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