PG&E Provides Maps of the Areas Likely to Lose Power This Evening in the Emerald Counties as Fire Weather Watch Descends

Wind fire psps imageryAccording to the latest information published by the Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 669 customers in Mendocino County, including 30 medical baseline customers, are expected to lost power starting this evening as a fire weather watch descends on the region. A total of 1,778 residences in the Emerald Counties are forecast to go dark as a result.

This is a screenshot of the outage map on PG&E’s website.

As per mapping published by PG&E, the power shutoffs seem to be localized to the areas of Laytonville, residences along Branscomb Road and Spy Rock Road, a small section of homes in Brooktrails northwest of Willits, and a series of homes along Briceland Road near the Mendocino/Humboldt County line.

PG&E estimated shutoff time ranges from tonight at 8:00 p.m. till tomorrow morning at 4:00 a.m. Further estimates indicate all power should be restored by 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 19th.

Despite the fact these shutoffs range across hundreds of square miles of rural Northern Mendocino County, PG&E is only offering a singular charging center which will be located in Laytonville’s Harwood Hall located at 44400 Willits Ave. The Charging Center will be available today from 5:00 p.m.-10:00 p.m. and tomorrow 8:00 a.m.- 10:00 p.m. Amenities offered at the Charging Center include blankets, snacks, water, device charging, restrooms/wash stations, small medical device charging, air-conditioning/hearing, ice, seating, and Wi-Fi.

humboldt and trinity areas losing power PG&EA total of 681 customers are expected to lose power in Humboldt County including 16 medical baseline residents. Mapping of Humboldt County indicates these shutoffs will be localized to areas around Myers Flat, Weott, Redcrest, Dinsmore, and a number of residents on Briceland Thorne Road in the southwest corner of the county. PG&E forecasts these Humboldt County residences will lost their power starting early tomorrow morning between 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m. and will likely have power restored later that tomorrow by 10:00 p.m.

As far as Trinity County, PG&E predicts 428 customers, including 21 medical baseline customers, will lose power as a result of the impending Public Safety Power Shutoffs. Areas of Trinity County that are forecasted to lost power include the Mad River area along Highway 36, residences around Ruth Lake, southeast of Ruth Lake extending all the way to the Ruth Airport, and a cluster of homes along Ruth-Zenia Road. Like Humboldt County, PG&E forecasts these residences will lost their power starting early tomorrow morning between 3:00 a.m.-4:00 a.m. and will likely have power restored later that tomorrow by 10:00 p.m.

The Charging Center that will be serving the Trinity County region will be located at Southern Trinity High School located at 600 Van Duzen Road in Mad River.

 

PG&E’s PSPS Potential Forecast Chart from their website

In the last 24 hours PG&E has updated their Public Safety Power Shutoff Potential forecasting from “Elevated” to an official “PSPS Watch” described as, “The company Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is activated for a reasonable chance of executing PSPS for public safety in a given county due to a combination of adverse weather and dry fuel conditions. A PSPS watch is typically only issued within 72 hours before the anticipated start of an event.”

[Infographic from NWS Eureka’s Facebook page]

As PG&E considers these measures, the National Weather Service Office in Eureka has issued a formal “Fire Weather Watch for tonight. A post on their Facebook page reads:

Gusty northeast to east winds are expected to develop over the upper slopes and ridges of Trinity and Northeast Mendocino counties, as well as most of Lake County. A Fire Weather Watch has been issued for these areas starting late Tuesday evening through Wednesday afternoon. For more information about your specific location, visit weather.gov/eka.

The following is a list of tips/tricks/wisdom to keep in mind when navigating a Public Safety Power Shutoff:

How to Prepare for the Public Safety Power Shutoff

  • The following infographic from PG&E details suggested supplies residents should gather to prepare for the PSPS:
  • The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents, “Remember that gas pumps and ATMs don’t work without electricity. Best to fill up and try to keep your tank at least half full in case of a #PSPS2020Mendo.”
  • This website from FDA.gov provides practical strategies to keep the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer as low as possible during extended power outages.
  • This website from FoodSafety.gov provides a detailed list of food that can be saved and food that must be thrown out after any sort of extended power outage.

Generators 101

  • As residents prepare for the Public Safety Power Shutoff, many will be purchasing or operating a backup power system for their residence or business. We would like to provide some guidance in purchasing and safely utilizing this equipment.
    • To purchase a generator that meets your wattage needs, use this generator calculator to assess your electricity needs and buy the appropriate model.
    • This Wikihow article provides an overview of the set-up, use, and safety precautions of using an electric generator.

How to Monitor the Public Safety Power Shutoff

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19 Comments
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Nobody
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Nobody
2 years ago

Power shutdown in central Humboldt makes no sense at all —

lauracooskey
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lauracooskey
2 years ago

What a bunch of ill advice, promoting (not discouraging) the use of generators.
Disgusting, polluting, noisy, anti-social machines, evidence of pathetic dependence upon the conveniences that continually make people MORE dependent upon the One Big Machine of their tech-ordered, nature-deprived worlds. I wish people would get over their affection for those evil spewing contraptions; and i wish if PGE were going to take the pacifiers out of people’s mouths, they at least wouldn’t condone an even worse substitute.

Hayforker
Guest
Hayforker
2 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

Ok that makes total sense. No one should be on grid power. Everyone back to the 1800s and get your horses ready.

I mean think about it: a car is a mobile generator. I bet this commenter above really does ride a horse everywhere.

The real problem is the PGE, and their insane policy that is an attempt to railroad the citizens into submission. Taking away electrical power is simply a power move.

thatguyinarcata
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thatguyinarcata
2 years ago
Reply to  Hayforker

I think its a bit more nuanced than that. PG&E is clearly a cartel and, in my opinion, any monopoly on essential infrastructure should be held by a public entity.

However, there is clearly a risk of fire ignition from high winds and power lines during the summer in forested areas out here. I’ve got to give credit where.credit is due, this is a huge improvement over 2019 when they just shut down the entire region for days at a time because of dangerous weather in Eastern trinity and Shasta.

Ultimately, we need to create more community scale generation and self contained microgrids if we want to free ourselves from the grip of PG&E and their investors

Paul
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Paul
2 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

Guess you haven’t been put between a rock and a hard place before. My generator is not normally used, and the hydro and solar panels provide me with the electricity I need. With the creek dry (no hydro) and the smoke dense (no solar) my gas driven fire pump is the only possible way to defend my property against fire. For those that don’t have off grid power, the shutoff is only for a day or so; the problems you describe are only short time.

These big fires we are having is driving many people out and away from their homes. The evacuation locations do not seem to me to be more safe than staying at home. I have heard that a virius is going around and the best way to prevent getting it is to avoid people who have it. Going to a place that has numerous strangers to mingle with seems the opposite of what we should do.

Sorry Laura, if I seem unconcerned about your comments, but an emergency such as this requires taking agressive action. Switching the conversation to climate change avoids the discussion of what exactly we should be doing right now, which is prepare your property for defense against the fire. It’s still spreading in all directions, and many people are in danger.

If you are outside the evac zones, and plan to stay if ordered to evacuate, stock up on gas (for your pump and/or generator), food (dry, canned), water, and pack your valuables in the vehicle you would use, should you decide to bail out. As a side note, I thought about evacuating, but my neighbour’s give me protection, as they are defending their homes, and the fire would get to them first, before me. All three of them stopped the fire near their houses. Two at less than 100 feet, and one just across the river from them. Thanks to those neighbours, I am now (relatively) safe from fire. While it did get to less than 100 feet from me, it burned safely along the highway and gave us a safe side to the fire, which has now burned 360 degrees around us.

Good luck everyone. While I don’t believe in relying on luck, I’ll take it if need be. Good preparation is number one right now.

Myers Flat Generstor Company
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Myers Flat Generstor Company
2 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

WHERE DO YOU THINK YOUR ELECTRICITY COMES FROM? FAIRIES?

Electric eel
Guest
Electric eel
2 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

Your power comes from generators. You knew that, right?

Bug on a Windshield
Guest
Bug on a Windshield
2 years ago
Reply to  lauracooskey

So, Laura, do you propose an alternative? Here’s the thing, my wife and I live in Eureka in one of the few remaining greenbelts in town. In fact, with the three tall redwoods in our yard touching fingertips with the reds on the neighbor’s property, we are not visible on google earth and their street view has never come into our gully. So, solar is not an option. We quite literally cannot sit in the sun for more the 15 minutes without moving to follow the sunny spot. We do get all the good gusts, but never any steady winds, so, wind mills not feasible. We have a nice crick behind us that turns up all sorts of critters including an occasional giant salamander. Waaayyyy too small for any kind of hydro.

Fortunately we are inlanded by PG&E, but we’ll see how that actually pans out. When the power goes out, what are we to do? I have no problem with candles. But the food in my fridge always seems to get the brunt of the assault. The last few years alone, we have lost the equivalent cost of a good Costco generator. And we ain’t rich. Can’t even give the spoiled food to the homeless. Can we come chill with you for the few days? The whole town can’t move to the hills. The hills would become another town. And I completely understand the noise pollution aspect, those things are loud. But our poor fridge and pocketbooks. Heavy sigh. We just bought the tri-fuel generator from costco and are currently enclosing it with sound dampening.

What else do we do?
lauracooskey, what is your suggestion?

Bug on a Windshield
Guest
Bug on a Windshield
2 years ago

Oh yeah, forgot to mention, something few city folk know about or even consider. Our house sits below the city’s main sewer line. We have a pump the moves that, uh, stuff up the hill. No power? No pump. We get two, maybe three, “solid” flushes before it just won’t go down. We both lived on the hill for a bit and have no problem doing what a bear does in the woods. But the city-fied neighbors don’t want to see a full moon from their breakfast nook. The gen will run that too.

Susan Nolan
Guest
Susan Nolan
2 years ago

An explanation from PG&E of why these areas are affected would be very welcome. Some seem almost random.

HotCoffee
Guest
HotCoffee
2 years ago
Reply to  Susan Nolan

Seems they chose the areas they know has no cell phone service,
Next they will tell us it will be another 3 days while they check the lines before they can turn us back on.

Yep, get an electric car in a state that can’t provide electricity. Billions will be spent on chargers, per the Biden bill. Just no electricity to charge them.
Time for more lobbyist meetings at the French Laundry! LOL

It’s smart to turn off the access to fire info. During fires.
No power for many means no well water, no info.
And KZYX info. sucks.

Mergler
Guest
Mergler
2 years ago

I’ve had six plus survey and removal crews down at my place in Leggett. Last one was yesterday after a year of probably 300k spent on crews. Each crew says the other fukt up, and now they are tagging oak bushes from stumps cut last year.
I get the sense this is a crazy ripoff of rate/tax payers….six different companies all cleaning up after the other? Call me crazy. Kym, how hard would it be to look which politicians, stockholders own stock in these horrible tree companies, most based out East!
This is getting beyond crazy, but what do I know.
Three days ago I woke up to screaming “control your dog, control your dog”. It was a tagging forester crew, and my pup has 3 legs and one eye.

Buzz
Guest
Buzz
2 years ago
Reply to  Mergler

It’s total bullshit, same type of mismanagement as the wildfires: incoherent policy, uncoordinated management, and clueless workers.

UnflappableJack
Guest
UnflappableJack
2 years ago

Still think this is about fire concerns? If so boy do I have a bridge to sell you. Isn’t a hoot living in a fear based culture?

s.s.
Guest
s.s.
2 years ago

The map here shows several places will be out by Briceland rd in Whitethorn junction area. The current map (10.28am) at pge website says power there not affected. Just contacted pge about the conflicting information. Person i talked to said they did not expect power in this area to be out, and that their posted map was the current one.
So i guess we will just wait and see? maybe they will cut it if they feel like it??
They also said the small places inside Humboldt marked for outage were due to where those places got their power from.

Nobody
Guest
Nobody
2 years ago
Reply to  s.s.

OH. Myers Flat and Weott must get their power from over the hill. Why aren’t they on the same grid as everyone else?
But out Briceland to Whitethorn… I know the power lines go out Briceland road, so it still makes no sense.
I won’t buy that this is PG$E doing a bully play, but I can’t figure what kind of drugs the folks in the Head Office are using.

Guest
Guest
Guest
2 years ago

People, If you READ agenda 21 and now agenda 2030 you see it states in their “rural relocation plan” they WILL control the population by Forcing them into certain ” Fema Sectors ” which is “City Zones” or “Smart Cities” so that the people ( slaves ) can be monitored and allotted energy based on their ” social credit score”. They are forcefully trying to remove us from our land and homes by burning us out, turning off our power, highest taxes in the United States, lowest i.q’s out of 47 states. This is a conspiracy but its defiantly not a theory. These things are POLICY now being implemented. I know why most people don’t want to understand this, because its scary and overwhelming. Being burned out, food rotted from no power, old people and sick people who need electricity won’t have it, stress and anxiety etc. and its all being done on purpose. Covid shot is to kill you and the smart and strong will either fight or die. Welcome to the New World!!

FBnative
Guest
2 years ago

If you live in a trailer or a house that is 10 x 20, you can get by with no power. If you have a freezer, and essential equipment ,you can not go without power. I will run my noisy gas generator , all my neighbors do. I think one is even a social justice warrior , so I guess you can’t complain.

father lowell laurence
Guest
father lowell laurence
2 years ago

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