Most Customers Who Lost Power Due to Winter Storm Have Been Restored
December 14 2021 - 8:21PM
Business Wire
More than 2,000 PG&E and Contract Workers
Deployed on Storm Response
Second Storm Arriving Wednesday Could Bring
More Low Snow, Additional Customer Impacts
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) crews today continue
to assess damage, make repairs and restore service to customers
after the first of two winter storms battered much of Northern and
Central California Sunday and Monday.
As of 2 p.m. today, 90 percent of the 247,000 customers who lost
power have been restored. Approximately 27,000 customers remained
without power, as heavy snow, road closures, downed trees, and
other access issues are impeding the ability of PG&E crews to
make repairs in some areas. The company is working diligently to
overcome those challenges safely and as quickly as local conditions
will allow.
“We know outages for any reason are frustrating and
inconvenient, particularly when daylight is short and temperatures
low,” said Mark Quinlan, PG&E Incident Commander for the
company’s storm readiness and response. “We see what our customers
are dealing with. We are doing everything we can to help, and we
won’t stop until everyone’s power is back on.”
Snow, ice, and cold temperature are creating additional
challenges in some cases. For example, snow loading, which occurs
when snow accumulates on tree branches or powerlines, has created
hazards and outage problems in the North Valley and Sierra Nevada
areas. A secondary problem can result when such accumulated snow
suddenly drops to the ground, creating new hazards and complicating
repairs.
More than 20 inches of snow was reported in the Echo Summit area
(El Dorado County) and the National Weather Service’s Winter Storm
Warning forecast as much as six feet or more in higher elevations.
The storm also brought strong winds and driving rain to much of
PG&E’s service area. Gusts of more than 70 mph were recorded in
10 counties, including Amador, Madera and Placer counties where
they exceeded 100 mph. Weather stations in Santa Cruz and Santa
Clara counties measured more than nine inches of rain as of Monday
night.
After a short respite, another storm is expected to move through
California early Wednesday into Thursday. Although forecast to be
weaker than the Sunday-Monday storm, this second event will bring
low-altitude snow across the Northern Coastal Range and Sierra
Nevada, along with moderate rainfall and breezy to gusty southerly
winds across the northern and central portions of PG&E’s
service area.
Restoration Efforts and Preparation
PG&E has 332 crews available to make repairs and restore
power – crews typically are three, four or five people.
Additionally, 322 Troublemen, the utility industry’s first
responders, and 431 vegetation management workers are responding to
the storm. The company’s Emergency Operations Center is activated
along with local and regional storm centers.
PG&E has established two microsites in Santa Cruz and Grass
Valley to stage crews and equipment to speed storm response and
power restoration.
Keeping Customers Informed
PG&E knows how important it is to keep its customers
informed. Customers can view real-time outage information on its
website outage center and search by a specific address, by city or
by county. This site has been updated to include in-language
support for 16 languages.
Additionally, customers can sign up for outage notifications by
text, email or phone. PG&E will inform customers about the
cause of an outage, when crews are on their way, the estimated
restoration time, and when power is restored.
Storm Safety Tips
- Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line,
assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try
to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power
lines immediately by calling 9-1-1 and by calling PG&E at
1-800-743-5002.
- Gas and electric safety if flooding occurs. If a customer’s
home or business is threatened by rising waters, turn off all gas
appliances, or close gas appliance valves with a one-quarter turn.
If you are unable to shut gas appliances off, turn your gas service
off at the meter by using a wrench or other suitable tool to give
the valve a one-quarter turn in either direction until it is
perpendicular to the pipe. To shut off electricity, locate the main
switch at the electric panel and turn the switch off. Never touch
electrical equipment with wet hands or while standing in water.
Once floodwaters recede, PG&E will restore gas and electric
service to the community. When returning to their homes, customers
should not attempt to turn on their gas or electricity. They should
contact PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 to request that their services
be restored.
- Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric
generators should make sure they are properly installed by a
licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly
installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as
well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators,
be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
- Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use
battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of
fire. And keep extra batteries on hand. If you must use candles,
please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, animals, and small
children. Do not leave candles unattended.
- Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that
requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering
machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready
as a backup. Having a portable charging device helps to keep your
cell phone running.
- Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers
filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your
refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent foods from
spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the
freezer.
- Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight yard
structures and decorative lawn items should be secured as they can
be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines and
property.
- Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug, or
turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits
and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a
single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your
appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to
normal.
- Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to safely
clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 8-1-1 or visit
811express.com at least two full business days before digging to
have all underground utilities safely marked.
Other tips can be found at www.pge.com/beprepared.
About PG&E
PG&E, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a
combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16
million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central
California. For more information, For more information, visit
pge.com and pge.com/news.
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