Portions of 34 Counties Will be Impacted by Widespread, Severe Wind Event Beginning Wednesday
New Counties Added Since Monday: Marin, Humboldt, Trinity and Kern
As a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the forecasted severe wind event, PG&E confirmed that it will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in portions of 34 northern, central and coastal counties, affecting electric service for nearly 800,000 customers.
PG&E expects to begin turning off power in some areas early Wednesday, just after midnight. The power will be turned off to communities in stages, depending on local timing of the severe wind conditions, beginning with counties in the northern part of the state.
“The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event. We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public’s patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire,” said Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations.
Customer notifications and impact
The company has been notifying potentially impacted customers and will continue to do so, via automated calls, texts and emails. However, customers not impacted by the PSPS may experience power outages due to PG&E equipment damaged during this major wind event; those customers will not be notified in advance.
It is very possible that customers may be affected by a power shutoff even though they are not experiencing extreme weather conditions in their specific location. This is because the electric system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions.
Portions of Kern, Humboldt, Trinity and Marin counties have been added to the potential scope of this PSPS, in addition to the 30 counties identified Monday. Customers can find the full list of impacted counties, cities and communities at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
Estimated time of restoration
Overall, based on the latest weather forecasts and models, PG&E anticipates that this weather event will last through midday Thursday, with peak winds forecasted from Wednesday morning through Thursday morning and reaching 40 to 55 mph, with isolated gusts up to 60 to 70 mph.
Before restoring power, PG&E must inspect its equipment for damage and make any necessary repairs. That process cannot begin until the severe weather event has subsided.
Given the prolonged period during which the wind event will unfold, and the large number of power line miles that will need to be inspected before restoration, customers are being asked to prepare for an extended outage.
PG&E will work with state and local agencies to provide updated restoration timelines following the conclusion of the severe weather event.
Community Resource Centers
To support customers in the affected areas, PG&E will open Community Resource Centers in several locations beginning on Wednesday, Oct. 9, at 8 a.m. The centers will 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.
Centers will be opened at the locations below:
County City Location Butte Oroville Bird Street School, 1421 Bird St, Oroville 95965 Butte Magalia 14144 Lakeridge Court, Magalia 95954 El Dorado Placerville El Dorado Fairgrounds 100 Placerville Drive, Placerville 95667 Lake Clear Lake Clearlake Senior Center 3245 Bowers Avenue, Clearlake 95422 Napa Napa 900 Fairgrounds Drive, Vallejo 94589 Napa Calistoga Calistoga Fairgrounds – 1601 N. Oak Calistoga 94515 Santa Clara San Jose Avaya Stadium 1123 Coleman Avenue, San Jose 95110 Nevada Grass Valley Sierra College Grass Valley 250 Sierra College Drive, Grass Valley 95945 Contra Costa San Ramon Bishop Ranch Parking Lot – 2600 Camino Ramon, San Ramon 94583 Calaveras Arnold Meadowmont Shopping Center – 2182 HWY 4, Arnold 95223 San Mateo Half Moon Bay Pasta Moon Restaurant, 845 Main St Half Moon Bay 94019 Placer Auburn Gold Country Fairgrounds 1273 High Street Auburn 95603 Shasta, Tehama Redding, Cottonwood, Red Bluff Shasta College, 11555 Old Oregon Trail Redding 96003 Solano Vacaville Mission Church 6391 Leisure Town Road, Vacaville 95687 Sonoma Santa Rosa, Sonoma Santa Rosa Veterans Memorial Building 1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa 95404 Alameda Oakland Merritt College LOT B – Leona St., Oakland 94508 Tuolumne Sonora Mother Lode Fairgrounds 220 Southgate Drive, Sonora 95370 Santa Cruz Aptos Twin Lakes Church 2701 Cabrillo College Dr, Aptos 95003 Amador Pioneer Mace Meadows Golf Course, 26570 Fairway Drive Pioneer 95666 Mendocino Ukiah 1775 N. State Street, Ukiah 95482 Yolo Winters Next to PG&E Gas Academy – Intersection of E. Grant Avenue & Timber Crest Road, Winters 95694 Colusa, Glenn Williams, Orland 839 Newville Road, Orland 95963 Mariposa Coulterville Coulterville Fire Dept – 10293 Ferry Road, Coulterville 95311 Sierra Sierra City Loganville Campground parking lot – HWY 49, Sierra City 96125 Stanislaus Westley Westley Hotel – 8615 CA-33, Westley 95387 Plumas La Porte 2140 Main St. La Porte 95981 El Dorado El Dorado Hills Rolling Hills Christian Church 800 White Rock Road, El Dorado Hills 95762 Yuba Oregon House 9185 Marysville Road, Oregon House 95962
How customers can prepare
As part of PSPS preparedness efforts, PG&E is asking customers to:
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 through automated calls, texts, and emails, when possible, prior to, and during, a PSPS.
Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration or devices that need power.
Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency
Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies and cash.
Keep in mind elderly family members, younger children and pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are available at www.pge.com/psps.
Continue to monitor PG&E’s new weather forecasting web page at www.pge.com/weather, which is a dedicated page with weather forecasting information and a daily 7-day PSPS lookahead.
Generator safety
Backup electric generators can be a part of any preparedness plan, but they can also pose unique safety hazards.
It’s important to understand how to safely operate your generator before an emergency occurs. This means doing regular safety checks and being sure you have enough fuel to last a few days. If you don’t understand how to use your generator, you risk damaging your property, endangering your life and endangering the lives of others.
Position your generator where its exhaust can vent safely to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning, which can be fatal. Never run a portable generator in the garage or in the rain, and never store generator fuel in the house.
Additional tips on the safe use of generators can be found at PG&E’s Safety Action Center at safetyactioncenter.pge.com.
Email Currents at Currents@pge.com.
At midnight local time (0700 ), United States public utility  (PG&E) began turning off electricity for customers in the San Francisco area of California. PG&E stated it scheduled the blackouts in response to forecasts for high winds amid dry conditions. The aim is to reduce the risk of wildfires. Nearly 800 thousand customers were scheduled to be affected by the shutoffs which were expected to last through at least midday tomorrow.
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Within the first four hours 185 thousand customers were without power. According to PG&E's schedule, by noon today over half a million could be affected, at which point phase two was planned to begin. Phase two was planned to affect over two hundred thousand customers. A phase three was tentatively planned, but final decisions were not yet made.

PG&E announced the schedule in a press release late yesterday and followed it up with a press conference last night. Sumeet Singh, a vice president at PG&E, said "We very much understand the inconvenience and difficulties such a power outage would cause". Company meteorologist Evan Duffey said, "This is forecast to be the strongest offshore wind event since October 2017".

Senior vice president Michael Lewis added, "The safety of our customers and the communities we serve is our most important responsibility, which is why PG&E has decided to turn power off to customers during this widespread, severe wind event. We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public's patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire".

According to local news, school districts across the area announced school closings. PG&E announced via Twitter around 11:30 am (1830 UTC), phase one had been completed. The company apologized for its website being inaccessible due to high volume of traffic.
 


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