Northern California’s largest utility provider confirmed Tuesday afternoon that it will “proactively” turn off power for nearly 800,000 customers—including an unknown number in Morgan Hill—as a forecast of high winds moves onto the coast.
The outage will start in some areas early Wednesday, Oct. 9—possibly just after midnight—according to a press release from PG&E. The National Weather Service has predicted severe winds in northern and central California starting about that time, possibly continuing through mid-day Oct. 10. PG&E will not begin restoring power until the severe weather has passed, and is thus asking customers to brace for an “extended outage” that could last several days.
“The power will be turned off to communities in stages, depending on local timing of severe wind conditions, beginning with counties in the northern part of the state,” reads the Oct. 8 press release.
Affected customers include some residents and businesses of Morgan Hill and other areas of Santa Clara County, according to PG&E’s map of the anticipated impact area. The utility company expects to turn off power for about 38,000 customers in the county.
It is “very possible” that some customers who are not experiencing high winds in their community will have their power shut off, PG&E said. “This is because the electric system relies on power lines working together to provide electricity across cities, counties and regions,” reads the press release.
PG&E plans to turn off power to all or parts of more than 30 counties due to the severe wind event. On Tuesday, PG&E officials expanded the potential scope of the “public safety power shutoff” to portions of Kern, Humboldt, Trinity and Marin counties.
The City of Morgan Hill sent out an email blast to residents on Monday warning of the possibility of the power shutdown, which could last up to five days. City staff urged local PG&E customers to sign up for alerts and notifications on their electricity situation.
On Oct. 8, the city sent out another email notifying residents that Morgan Hill Unified Schools are planning to remain open. Parents of students of private schools should check with their school administration on their power outage plans.
The city’s Tuesday email also cautioned that during the outage, traffic signals in the affected area may not be functioning. The city is planning to maintain water and sewer service with the use of backup generators, but the email added, “We do not currently anticipate water or sewer service outages.”
Residents who rely on a private well or private pumping system for water might have interrupted service during the outage, according to the city’s email.
When the power might be turned back on is undetermined, and depends on when the winds die down. PG&E officials said they will not turn the power back on until all its equipment is inspected and repaired after the storm has passed.
“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,” the press release said.
The press release added that, based on the latest weather forecasts, the severe wind event will last through mid-day Thursday. Peak winds are forecasted from Wednesday morning to Thursday morning, with gusts surpassing 40 to 55 mph.
Earlier this year, PG&E alerted the public and regulatory authorities that it may implement “public safety power shutoff” scenarios at times of “extreme weather or wildfire conditions,” reads the PG&E website dedicated to public information about the program.
During such a power shutoff, PG&E may turn off electricity for entire communities, cities or even counties in order to reduce the likelihood of live, damaged power lines igniting dry vegetation and sparking large-scale wildfires.
Regulators have identified downed PG&E power lines as the cause of the Camp Fire in November 2018 in Paradise, the deadliest wildfire in the state’s history.
PG&E has been in the process of notifying potentially impacted customers of the Oct. 9 outage and will continue to do so, via automated calls, texts and emails, reads Tuesday’s press release. 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.
For more information about the power shutoff and the impact on your home, business or neighborhood, and to sign up for outage alerts, visit PG&E’s website pge.com/pspsupdates.
In the Oct. 9 press release, PG&E asked its customers to prepare for the power shutoff in the following ways:
· 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.
This is criminal. They cannot take power away from citizens for 5 days. There are sick and elderly people here. People who cant afford generators who don’t have BBQs or a safe place to cook outdoors. Nowhere to shower. Plus all of the wages lost from people who work in the affected area. People are going to lose their houses because they cant pay rent/mortgage. One weeks wages is enough for some people to lose everything
How about service damaged power lines instead of messing with peoples livelyhood
wow no comment on municipal water & sewer…will those systems be running ?
Which area of Morgan Hill will be affected by the upcoming area outage? I rely on CPAP equipment when I go to sleep.
the PG&E map shows a block or two south of dunne to north past cochran on the West side of town. That angles east to west running toward tennant and monterey which is ok but north of there is not . PG&E has a map on their site which allows you to drill down to street level