PG&E Meteorology monitoring strong winds and dry vegetation conditions late Tuesday through Thursday, PG&E has notified customers who may be impacted
OAKLAND, Calif. — As of 7 p.m. on Sunday (Nov. 3), Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has called a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that may shut off power for safety to approximately 15,000 customers in 17 counties and 3 tribal areas, with first outages on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at the earliest, if weather conditions do not improve.
PG&E meteorologists and operations professionals continue to monitor a potential wind event forecasted to enter parts of its service area late Tuesday through Thursday morning. Although recent precipitation has lowered fire potential, fuels are expected to dry out over the next couple of days under the dry and breezy conditions leading to elevated fire weather concerns when the stronger winds occur mid-week.
PG&E’s machine learning wind models are showing the potential for gusts greater than 50 mph over elevated terrain in the North and East Bay with windiest spots in the Geysers, Mt. St Helena, and Mt. Diablo reaching near or above 70 mph. With humidity dropping to 15-30% in windy areas, fire risk will increase under the strong and dry winds. The criteria for calling a PSPS event—low relative humidity, diminished moisture of vegetation and gusting wind conditions— are forecasted to be met on Tuesday night.
We recognize that Tuesday, November 5, is Election Day. PG&E has been working with state and local election officials for more than a month to prepare accordingly.
Although there are 7,000 Election Day polling locations in PG&E’s service area and 48 tabulation centers, just one polling location—Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center in Lake County—has so far been identified as in scope for the potential PSPS. The earliest that polling location could be impacted is Tuesday, November 5, at 9:30 p.m., which is after in-person voting has ended. PG&E is working to ensure backup generation is available at the Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center out of an abundance of caution. No tabulation centers are currently in the scope of the PSPS.
To prepare for any non-PSPS-related power outages, we have staged extra crews and emergency materials throughout our service area. All vote tabulation centers have their own backup generation already in place.
Customers in the affected areas were notified Sunday night, November 3, via email, phone call or text to help them prepare for power outages. Visit PG&E’s Outage Center to see if your county or home address falls within the affected areas.
The company’s Emergency Operations Center (EOC) is currently open to support our customers and our operations teams during the PSPS.
To prepare for any non-PSPS related power outages during this weather event, PG&E has increased the number of on-duty crews and material supplies throughout our service area.
Potentially Affected Customers, Counties
Customers can look up their address online to find out if their location is being monitored for the potential safety shutoff at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event could affect approximately 15,000 customers in portions of the following counties:
| County | Estimated Customers Impacted | Estimated Medical Baseline Impacted |
| ALAMEDA | 449 | 26 |
| BUTTE | 292 | 27 |
| COLUSA | 604 | 29 |
| CONTRA COSTA | 940 | 57 |
| GLENN | 510 | 21 |
| KERN | 581 | 28 |
| LAKE | 1111 | 83 |
| MENDOCINO | 13 | 4 |
| NAPA | 3601 | 146 |
| PLUMAS | 3 | 0 |
| SANTA CLARA | 918 | 52 |
| SANTA CRUZ | 225 | 13 |
| SOLANO | 3591 | 271 |
| SONOMA | 1202 | 25 |
| STANISLAUS | 27 | 0 |
| TEHAMA | 1075 | 101 |
| YOLO | 363 | 20 |
Tribal Counties:
| Tribe | County | Estimated Customers Impacted |
| Cortina Rancheria | COLUSA | 8 |
| Grindstone Rancheria | GLENN | 46 |
| Middletown Rancheria | LAKE | 33 |
The number of customers affected may change as PG&E continues to analyze system impacts.
PG&E has taken several steps to minimize the number of customers impacted. That includes proactively conducting equipment evaluations, implementing preventative maintenance measures, and exploring options for temporary power solutions.
When possible, PG&E representatives will make individual, in-person visits to customers enrolled in the company’s Medical Baseline Program who do not verify they have received important safety communications, with a primary focus on customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment.
Customer Support
During PSPS events, PG&E opens Community Resource Centers where community members can access resources, including:
· A safe location to meet their basic power needs, such as charging medical equipment and electronic devices
· Up-to-date information about the PSPS
· Water, snacks, blankets, ADA-accessible restrooms and other essential items to reduce hardships to our customers
Community Resource Centers will be open in impacted counties to provide support to customers between 8am and 10pm. For a full list of available CRCs, please visit pge.com/crc.
How Customers Can Prepare
· Use a cell phone or hard-wired phone. Cordless phones do not work without electricity.
· Use battery-operated flashlights, not candles, which may pose a fire hazard.
· Unplug or turn off all electric and heat-producing appliances (e.g., air conditioners, washers and dryers, ovens, stoves, irons) to avoid overloading circuits. Overloaded circuits can be a fire hazard once power is restored.
· Unplug televisions and computers that were in use when the power went out.
· Leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns.
· Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed, and place extra containers of ice inside to preserve food. A full freezer will remain colder longer.
· Notify your alarm company if you have an alarm system. Equipment can be affected by outages.
· Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
· Reset clocks, thermostats and other programmed equipment after power is restored.
Generator Safety
Backup power can be a vital part of any emergency preparedness plan in the event of a power outage. PG&E’s residential and business customers can review key considerations, safety tips, financing and retailer information by visiting pge.com/backuppower.
Why PG&E Calls a PSPS Event
PG&E initiates PSPS when the fire-weather forecast is severe enough that people’s safety, lives, homes and businesses may be in danger of wildfires. Our overarching goal is to stop catastrophic wildfires by proactively turning off power in targeted areas when extreme weather threatens our electric grid. We recognize that PSPS outages create hardships for our customers and communities. Our sole focus is to keep our customers safe.
As each weather situation is unique, we carefully review a combination of factors when deciding if power must be turned off. These factors include but are not limited to:
· Low humidity levels, generally 30% and below.
· A forecast of high winds, particularly sustained winds above 19 miles per hour and wind gusts above 30-40 miles per hour.
· Condition of dry material on the ground and low moisture content of vegetation.
Our decision-making process also accounts for the presence of trees tall enough to strike powerlines. This set of criteria is a first step which may lead to further analysis by our meteorology team to determine if a PSPS event is necessary.
Where to Learn More
· PG&E’s emergency website (www.pge.com/pspsupdates) is now available in 16 languages: English, Spanish, Chinese, Tagalog, Russian, Vietnamese, Korean, Farsi, Arabic, Hmong, Khmer, Punjabi, Japanese, Thai, Portuguese and Hindi. Customers 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 1-800-743-5000, where in-language support is available.
· Tenants and non-account holders can sign up to receive PSPS ZIP Code Alerts for any area they you do not have a PG&E account by visiting www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
· At PG&E’s Safety Action Center (www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com) customers can prepare for emergencies. 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.
