Forecasted high wind event means PG&E might need to proactively turn off power for safety for about 54,000 customers in portions of Lassen and other counties Wednesday
Pacific Gas and Electric Company continues to monitor a potentially strong and dry offshore wind event forecasted to start Wednesday evening that may affect PG&E customers in Lassen County.
Pat Holley, the assistant general manager at the Lassen Municipal Utility District said its customers should not be affected in the event of an outage. He said when LMUD has prior knowledge of a power outage from PG&E, the company can make arrangements to receive power from Honey Lake Power instead.
Given the expected conditions, PG&E began its one-day advance notifications to customers in areas where PG&E may need to proactively turn power off for safety to reduce the risk of wildfire from energized power lines.
The potential PSPS starting Wednesday evening could impact approximately 54,000 customers in portions of 19 counties in the 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.
Specifically, customers in portions of the following counties are being notified: Lassen, Alameda, Butte, Colusa, Contra Costa, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Napa, Plumas, Santa Clara, Shasta, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Yolo and Yuba.
The potential PSPS event is still approximately 24 hours away. PG&E’s in-house meteorologists, its Wildfire Safety Operations Center and its Emergency Operations Center, continue to monitor conditions closely and additional customer notifications will be shared over the next few days.
Customer notifications — via text, email and automated phone call — began Monday 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 in person by a PG&E employee when possible. A primary focus will be given to customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment.
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.
Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at pge.com/pspsupdates.
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 pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling (800) 743-5000, 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.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation. 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.