City Manager David Mickaelian and Fire Chief Jason Boaz briefly discussed the potential for a power shutoff by PG&E within city limits at the city council meeting on Oct. 7.
The city operates its own power lines and is at a lower risk to lose power during a high fire alert shutoff. The city relies on PG&E’s transmission lines but current shutoff plans involve power distribution lines. Mickaelian said that the city is in communication with PG&E.
“We’ve been told we’ll get plenty of notice” to a change in power shut-off plans, Mickaelian said.
Fire drills
Boaz also gave an update to two planned fire evacuation drills with the county’s Fire and Emergency Services Department’s Sam Wallis. One will be for Mill Creek Road on Saturday, Oct. 19 and the second will be for Fitch Mountain on Saturday, Nov. 2. Both drills begin at 8 a.m.
Interested residents can sign up to receive test alerts during this time and are encouraged to participate in evacuating. Mailers should be sent out to each house in the drill area that provides information on how to sign up. Afterward, residents will be asked to meet at a designated area and provide feedback for how to improve the evacuation process.
Power shutoffs in other areas of the county
While Healdsburg is less likely to be affected by the shutoffs, PG&E issued a press release on Tuesday, Oct. 8 stating that power will be preemptively shutoff for other areas of Sonoma County early on Wednesday, Oct. 9, affecting 66,289 Sonoma County PG&E customers.
To view the press release see below:
As a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the forecasted severe wind event, Pacific Gas and Electric Company (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
1001 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 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 numbers.
· 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 pge.com/psps.
· Continue to monitor PG&E’s new weather forecasting web page at 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 www.safetyactioncenter.pge.com.
-Submitted by Deanna Contreras PG&E spokesperson
