About 50,000 customers who might be affected by
the Public Safety Power Shutoff are receiving initial notifications
today, two days ahead of the potential event
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has notified
customers in targeted portions of 19 counties and two tribal
communities about a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) as
early as Wednesday evening. 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 in Northern California and continue through Friday morning
primarily in the following areas:
- Northern Sacramento Valley and adjacent elevated terrain;
- The Northern Sierra Nevada generally north of I-80;
- The North Bay mountains; and
- Mt. Diablo in the East Bay.
When high risk weather subsides, PG&E will inspect the
de-energized lines to ensure they were not damaged during the wind
event. PG&E will then 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 about 50,000 customers in targeted portions of 19 counties,
including Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Humboldt,
Lake, Lassen, Napa, Plumas, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma,
Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba. A small number of
customers in two tribal communities may also be affected.
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
Below is a list of customers
who could potentially be affected by this PSPS event.
- Alameda County: 3,485 customers, 190 Medical Baseline
customers
- Butte County: 11,243 customers, 985 Medical Baseline
customers
- Colusa County: 565 customers, 31 Medical Baseline
customers
- Contra Costa County: 536 customers, 42 Medical Baseline
customers
- Glenn County: 377 customers, 18 Medical Baseline customers
- Humboldt County: 298 customers, 5 Medical Baseline
customers
- Lake County: 963 customers, 69 Medical Baseline customers
- Lassen County: 319 customers, 17 Medical Baseline
customers
- Napa County: 2,032 customers, 82 Medical Baseline
customers
- Plumas County: 347 customers, 17 Medical Baseline
customers
- Santa Clara County: 236 customers, 9 Medical Baseline
customers
- Shasta County: 20,091 customers, 1,556 Medical Baseline
customers
- Solano County: 49 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers
- Sonoma County: 626 customers, 18 Medical Baseline
customers
- Stanislaus County: 33 customers, 0 Medical Baseline
customers
- Tehama County: 7,421 customers, 650 Medical Baseline
customers
- Trinity County: 458 customers, 21 Medical Baseline
customers
- Yolo County: 11 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
- Yuba County: 1,324 customers, 96 Medical Baseline
customers
- Total*: 50,414 customers, 3,810 Medical Baseline customers
*The following Tribal
Community counts are included within the County level detail
above.
- Cortina Rancheria Tribal community: 8 customers, 1 Medical
Baseline customer
- Grindstone Rancheria Tribal community: 49 customers, 3 Medical
Baseline customers
Why PG&E Calls a PSPS Event
Due to forecasted severe 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 the 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 in 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 information as
soon as possible to ensure they have time 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. This is what is
being sent to customers. 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 when their power will be
restored, all provided two days before the power goes out. Last
year, the estimated time of restoration was not provided until the
power had been turned off.
Here’s Where to Go to Learn
More
- PG&E’s emergency website (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 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 pge.com/pspszipcodealerts.
- PG&E has launched a new tool at its online Safety Action
Center (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 the
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 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. The CRC
to be used 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.
To stay up to date on this potential PSPS, visit
pge.com/pspsupdates.
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.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20201019005889/en/
MEDIA RELATIONS: 415-973-5930
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024