PG&E announces, cancels power shutoff… for now
At 1:15 p.m. today, PG&E announced that it does not project a power shutoff event for today, Monday 9/23, for Sonoma County. The statements retracts PG&E’s warning at 9 a.m. this morning that such a shutoff was likely.
The warning called for at least a 48-hour outage beginning tonight at about 8 p.m. That has been called off.
That warning was canceled when the weather and wind conditions that had been forecast did not develop today. But PG&E will continue to monitor the weather for a potential shutoff tomorrow, Tuesday 9/24. For more information: https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/psps-service-impact-map.page
This morning’s warning was the first under PG&E’s new ‘Public Safety Shut Of Watch’ program, under which the utility has the authority to
enforce a “de-energization event.”
In this instance, PG&E estimated that 33,000 customers in Sonoma County could lose power. The areas anticipated to be affected by shutdowns extend throughout most of the County, including the City of Santa Rosa, north of Santa Rosa, and east, including Sonoma Valley.
A second power shut off event may begin on Tuesday, September 24, about 8 P.M. with re-energization beginning on Wednesday, September 25 at about 6 A.M. It may take 24 to 48 hours to fully restore all power.
In its own statement today, The County of Sonoma declared a State of Emergency “in an abundance of caution to ensure we are able to prepare our own internal operation and respond to this event to the best of abilities.”
“Our staff has been diligently planning to adequately respond to the
effects of this event,” said Board of Supervisors Chair David Rabbitt. “However, we want to remind our residents that the decision to turn off the power and the speed at which it is restored is planned and managed solely by PG&E.”
The County of Sonoma Department of Emergency Management is taking steps in preparation for a potential power loss following the first of its kind “De-Energization Response Plan.”
“The ramifications of these kind of events are extensive; prolonged power outages could impact public safety systems, including emergency alerts,” said Chris Godley, Emergency Manager. “Residents should be aware of their surroundings as the weather forecast does include an elevated fire danger.”
PG&E will provide updates to customers and the County of Sonoma when information is available. Customers can update their contact information to receive notifications sent by PG&E online or by phone, in English at 1-866-743-6589 and in Spanish at 1-866-743-
6589.
Residents can also check if their home is in an area where power may be shut off on PG&E’s website.
To find more information about preparing for power outages visit
www.SoCoEmergency.org. Sign up for County emergency alerts on SoCoAlert.org.
