PG&E Crews Continue to Restore Power as Winter Storm System Is Forecasted to Bring More Snow, Rain and Wind
December 26 2021 - 9:19PM
Business Wire
Nearly 50,000 customers restored since
Christmas morning
After a week of on and off rains, a series of holiday winter
storms are forecasted to intensify Sunday night into Monday.
Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) electric and vegetation
crews have restored service to thousands of customers following
weather-related outages.
PG&E crews have restored electric service to nearly 50,000
customers since Christmas morning, with 15,000 customers still
experiencing outages as of 5 p.m. on Sunday. Crews are also
preparing to respond to any outages from the next pulse of the
current storm system.
PG&E meteorologists are forecasting low snow levels tonight
and tomorrow with heavier snow accumulations in the low to mid
elevations. That snow accumulation could lead to increased power
outages in some areas.
The wet and unsettled weather pattern looks to continue through
Tuesday in certain areas—the National Weather Service has issued a
Winter Storm Warning through Tuesday morning for the Sierra and
northern mountains—before drier conditions possibly return, along
with potentially very cold temperatures.
“Throughout the last week we’ve been focused on staying ready
and keeping the power on for our customers. This weekend, as our
customers hopefully enjoy time with their families, the men and
women of PG&E continue to work in challenging conditions to
power our state,” said Wade Smith, PG&E’s Senior Vice
President, Electric Operations.
Winter storms produce wet and windy conditions that can cause
trees, limbs and other debris to fall into power lines, damage
equipment and interrupt electric service. In some areas, ground
already saturated by previous storms, along with
drought-intensified conditions that weakened vegetation, could
cause more trees to fall into equipment and cause power
outages.
PG&E’s meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage
Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts,
historical data and system knowledge to accurately show where and
when storm impacts will be most severe. This model enables the
company to pre-stage crews and equipment as storms approach to
enable rapid response to outages. Those activities are taking place
now.
Fall and winter rain and snow in PG&E’s service area have
been a welcomed occurrence, especially in lieu of drought
conditions in the state. Since the start of the weather year on
Oct. 1, rain totals have been 206% of normal at the Oakland
Airport. Statewide, California’s snowpack has grown from 19% of
historic averages on Dec. 10 to 102% as of Dec. 23, according to
the California Department of Water Resources.
Among other actions being taken by PG&E:
- Workers are tackling restoration in challenging weather
conditions and are supported by the utility’s geosciences team.
Geosciences is monitoring potential post-wildfire debris flows from
incoming rains which could impact PG&E’s equipment and
vegetation around its equipment.
- PG&E distributed power poles, power lines, transformers and
other electric equipment from our three materials centers to yards
throughout our service territory to restore power to impacted areas
as quickly as possible.
- Local and regional operations emergency centers have been
activated throughout our service area in impacted regions to
allocate all staff and resources to restoration efforts.
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 let customers know 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 then PG&E at
1-800-743-5002.
- 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.
- Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric
generators should ensure 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.
- 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
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, 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,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
View source
version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20211226005007/en/
MEDIA RELATIONS: 415-973-5930
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2024 to Apr 2024
PG&E (NYSE:PCG)
Historical Stock Chart
From Apr 2023 to Apr 2024