Public Safety Power Shutoff to Begin in Mendocino County Around 3 P.M., Says PG&E

PG&E is planning to go through with a Public Safety Power Shutoff to thousands of customers today. Mendocino County, which is expected to have less than 200 customers affected, sent out a press release stating that the de-energization will begin in Hopland area east of Highway 175, portions of Potter Valley and southeastern Mendocino County near the Mendocino/Sonoma County line around 3 p.m. and is expected to be restored on the 24th.

PG&E spokesperson Deanna Contreras says the company will be working to restore power swiftly. She tells us,

PG&E is preparing to fly out of the Ukiah Municipal airport to…help the inspection process go faster, as we receive the weather all-clear, so customers can have their power turned back on quickly. You may also see 2 helicopters coming in and out of the Angwin airport late tonight or in the morning to inspect the lines in the impacted areas of Napa County.  The helicopters are only flying along lines to inspect for damage to ensure it’s safe to re-energize. And we are prepared to fly at least 2 helicopters to inspect the lines in Sonoma County, one out of the Santa Rosa airport and one at the Petaluma airport.

Below is a press release from Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) about the Public Safety Power Shutoff:

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) confirmed this morning its plan to move forward with a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in portions of the Sierra Foothills and North Bay, as well as small parts of San Mateo and Kern counties. This PSPS decision was based on forecasts of dry, hot and windy weather that poses a higher risk for damage and sparks on the electric system and rapid wildfire spread.

The shutoff is expected to impact approximately 179,000 customers in 17 counties: Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, El Dorado, Kern, Lake, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Sierra, Sonoma, Tehama and Yuba.

For a list of impacted customer counts and cities per county, see www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

Timeline for safety shutoffs

Here’s the approximate timeline that customers can expect:

  • The shutoffs are expected to begin around 2 p.m. in the Sierra Foothills, 3 p.m. in the North Bay counties, and approximately 1 a.m. Thursday in affected areas of San Mateo and Kern counties.
  • Forecasts indicate the peak period of winds should end about noon Thursday in the Sierra Foothills, North Bay and San Mateo County, and around noon Friday in Kern County.
  • Once the high winds subside, PG&E will inspect the de-energized lines to ensure they were not damaged during the wind event, and then restore power. PG&E will safely restore power in stages as quickly as possible, with the goal of restoring the vast majority of customers within 48 hours after the weather has passed.

Customer notifications and impact

The company notified potentially impacted customers on Monday (48 hours prior) and again on Tuesday (24 hours prior), and will continue to notify, via automated calls, texts and emails—for those customers who’ve provided their contact information to PG&E.

It’s important to remember that customers not impacted by the PSPS may experience power outages due to PG&E equipment damaged during this wind event; those customers will not be notified in advance.

It is also very possible that customers may be affected by a power shutoff even though they are not experiencing extreme weather conditions in their specific location. This is because the electric system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions.

Community Resource Centers

To support customers in the affected areas, PG&E will open several Community Resource Centers. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 will be available at these facilities. Locations are below, and more are being confirmed. View the most updated list of center locations at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.

The following centers are scheduled to open at 8 a.m. Thursday and stay open 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. for the remainder of the shutoff:

 

COUNTY CITY SITE NAME ADDRESS
Alpine Bear Valley Bear Valley Transportation Center 132 Bear Valley Road
Amador Jackson St. Katharine Drexel Catholic Parish 11361 Prospect Drive
Amador Pioneer Mace Meadows Golf Course 26570 Fairway Drive
Butte Chico Costco – Butte 2100 Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Parkway
Butte Magalia Strip Mall 14144 Lakeridge Court
Butte Oroville Bird Street School 1421 Bird Street
Calaveras Arnold Meadowmont Shopping Center 2182 Highway 4
Calaveras Murphys Black Bart Players 580 South Algiers Street
El Dorado Georgetown Buffalo Hill Center 6023 Front Street 37
El Dorado Placerville Former County Sheriff’s Office 300 Fair Lane
El Dorado Pollock Pines Knotty Pine Lanes 2667 Sanders Dr #1
Lake Lakeport Konocti Vista Casino 2755 Mission Rancheria Road
Lake Middletown Twin Pine Casino & Hotel 22223 CA-29
Napa Calistoga Napa County Fairgrounds 1435 North Oak Street
Nevada Grass Valley Sierra College – Grass Valley 250 Sierra College Drive
Nevada Penn Valley Penn Valley Community Church 11739 Spenceville Road
Placer Auburn Gold County Fairgrounds 209 Fairgate Road
Placer Forest Hill Canyon View Assembly Church 23221 Forest Hill Road
Placer Lincoln McBean Pavillion Parking Lot 75 McBean Park Drive
Sonoma Cloverdale Cloverdale Citrus Fair 1 Citrus Fair
Sonoma Santa Rosa Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building 1351 Maple Avenue
Sonoma Sonoma Hanna Boys Center 17000 Arnold Drive
Yuba Oregon House Alcouffe Center 9185 Marysville Road
Calaveras West Point Veterans of Foreign Wars post 3322 202 Spink Road
Mendocino Potter Valley Potter Valley Bible Church 10151 Main Street

How customers can prepare

As part of PSPS preparedness efforts, PG&E is asking customers to:

  • Update their contact information at pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743- 6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers through automated calls, texts, and emails, when possible, prior to, and during, a PSPS.
  • 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 elderly family members, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at pge.com/psps.
  • Continue to monitor PG&E’s new weather forecasting web page at pge.com/weather which is a dedicated page with weather forecasting information and a daily seven-day PSPS lookahead.

Generator safety

 

  • Backup electric generators can be a part of any preparedness plan, but they can also pose unique safety hazards.
  • It’s important to understand how to safely operate your generator before an emergency occurs. This means doing regular safety checks and being sure you have enough fuel to last a few days. If you don’t understand how to use your generator, you risk damaging your property, endangering your life and endangering the lives of others.
  • Position your generator where its exhaust can vent safely to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal. Never run a portable generator in the garage or in the rain, and never store generator fuel in the house.
  • Additional tips on the safe use of generators can be found at PG&E’s Safety Action Center at www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com.
Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules

Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

2 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
Doggo
Guest
Doggo
4 years ago

It’s good to see them being more selective this time. The areas of Mendocino & Lake county mentioned here are very dry, brushy fire prone places.
Stay safe & be prepared. Nobody wants to see🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥

Chuck U
Guest
Chuck U
4 years ago

I am sending my wife and kids down to the bay area tomorrow for a visit at grandma’s, it is a total pain in the ass to figure out where gas will be affected on either the 5 or 101 corridor!