The ups and downs of the Bay Area power grid ended its latest episode this week, after another anxious couple of days for nearly 6,000 PG&E customers in west Morgan Hill, San Martin and rural areas east, north and west of the city.
Power for all but about 100 of these customers was restored after a two-day outage Monday afternoon, Oct. 28. Electricity for the final group of homes west of San Martin was to be restored the next evening, Oct. 29.
A new “Public Safety Power Shutoff” that had been projected to begin on Tuesday, Oct. 29, did not affect South County communities, as winds that had swept down from the eastern hills subsided by midweek.
“We thank you for your patience and support during the past few days,” PG&E told customers.
The City of Morgan Hill had enforced a “limited curfew” in areas within the city limits that were affected by the PG&E shutoff. No incidents were reported.
Areas affected, according to PG&E, were around Anderson Reservoir, North Monterey Road, southwest Morgan Hill, Oak Glen and other hills west of the city and Uvas Reservoir area, as well as San Martin.
The 388 elementary students at the Paradise Valley Engineering Academy in Morgan Hill had no power until early afternoon. Teachers made the most of the situation, with flashlights, lanterns and special science activities.
The “limited curfew” was enforced by Morgan Hill Police in the areas without electricity from about 7pm to 6:30am the nighttime hours of Oct. 26 and 27, according to city staff.
Morgan Hill Police did not report any curfew violations or arrests in areas in the power shutoff area. No significant public safety issues were reported as a result of the power shutoffs, according to police.
During the last PSPS that affected Morgan Hill Oct. 9, police arrested two men suspected of breaking into vehicles in a neighborhood without electricity, during the city’s curfew hours.
The curfew applied only to public spaces in those areas without power and did not apply to personal residences or property. It was intended to prevent loitering in areas impacted by the power shutoff.
