PG&E power shutoff in 7 North Bay, Sierra Foothill counties due to fire-risk weather

SAN FRANCISCO – Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has been monitoring weather forecasts hourly and determined that a second Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) is needed for some 48,200 customers in the North Bay and Sierra Foothill regions due to continued hot, dry and windy weather conditions.

For this second PSPS event, based on elevated weather conditions, including potential fire risk, PG&E will be turning off the power for safety at approximately 2:30 a.m. in the Sierra Foothills, and in the North Bay at approximately 4:30 a.m., both Wednesday. Windy weather conditions are expected to last until 12:00 p.m. on Wednesday, Sept. 25.

Wednesday’s PSPS event will include 48,200 customers in portions of seven counties: Butte, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, Sonoma and Yuba.

Customer impacts may include portions of the following cities, unincorporated areas, and counties:

Based on PG&E’s established protocols and procedures, PG&E initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff on Monday, Sept. 23 at 5:00 p.m. impacting approximately 24,000 customers. Essentially all customers included in Monday’s PSPS event were restored today, Tuesday, Sept. 24, as of 6:00 p.m. During the inspection process, four incidents of weather-related equipment damage were identified.

Hundreds of PG&E personnel and aerial resources are standing by and ready to respond for inspections, repairs and restoration once the weather subsides. Those crews conducted safety patrols today following Monday’s PSPS and have restored power to essentially all customers impacted by the first event.

After the dry and windy weather has passed and it is safe to do so, PG&E crews will work to visually inspect each mile of our power lines to ensure they are free from damage and safe to energize.

Inspections will take place during daylight hours and, in most cases, we would expect to be able to restore power within 24 to 48 hours after the dry and windy weather has passed. However, depending on weather conditions or if any repairs are needed, outages (weather event plus restoration time) could last longer than 48 hours.

For planning purposes, we suggest customers prepare for multiple-day outages.

Inspection & Restoration Process

Steps to restoration after a PSPS event include:

• Weather All Clear

• After the dry and windy weather has passed and it’s safe to do so, our crews can go into the field to begin patrols and inspections.

• Patrol and Inspect

• Our crews will work to visually inspect our power lines to look for potential

weather-related damage to the lines, poles and towers. This is done by

vehicle, foot and air.

• Visual inspections are necessary since circuit breakers, reclosing devices

and fuses that are typically used to help detect any potential damage from a weather event like a winter storm are also de-energized during a Public Safety Power Shutoff for safety reasons.

• There are many challenges we face during inspections. Some locations require workers to travel on narrow access roads. In locations with no vehicle access, crews might need to hike in remote and mountainous areas to inspect equipment. And, at night, we can’t fly helicopters for visual inspections.

• Isolate and Repair Damaged Equipment

• Where equipment damage is found, crews will work to isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system so other parts of the system can be restored.

• Begin restoring power to customers within the PSPS event.

Community Resource Centers 

To support customers in the potentially affected counties, PG&E has opened Community Resource Centers in multiple locations. The Resource Centers will open at 8:00 a.m. and remain open during daylight hours only. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 will be available at these facilities. The centers are located at:

Auburn Gold Country Fairgrounds

209 Fairgate Road

Auburn, CA 95603

Sierra College Grass Valley Campus
250 Sierra College Drive
Grass Valley, CA 95945

Magalia

14144 Lakeridge Court

Magalia, CA 95954

Harrison Stadium parking lot
Third and Mitchell Avenues
Oroville, CA 95965

Oregon House

9185 Marysville Road

Oregon House, CA 95935

Loomis

3600 Taylor Rd

Loomis, CA 95650

Calistoga/Napa Fairgrounds

1435 N. Oak Street

Calistoga, CA 94515

General Updates

PG&E provided early warning notification of the Public Safety Power Shutoff and will share updates until power is restored. Out of an abundance of caution, PG&E began providing notice to customers before this safety event through automated phone calls, texts, social media and emails on Saturday, Sept. 21.

As part of these preparedness efforts, PG&E has asked customers to:

• Stay informed on the latest Public Safety Power Shutoff updates at www.pge.com/pspsupdates. Customers also can enter their address and find out if their home or business is served by an electric line that may be affected by this event.

• Update their contact information at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers when and where possible before turning off electric service for safety.

• Prepare for and practice an emergency plan to keep themselves and their families emergency-ready and safe during an outage. Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at www.pge.com/psps.