PG&E shut off power for 21,000 customers in 3 counties. Here’s how they plan to help
6:30 p.m. update: Pacific Gas and Electric Co. will open five community resource centers to aid people who are affected from the power shutoff on Monday evening.
The centers will be open during daylight hours and will provide air conditioning, bottled water, restrooms, charging devices and seating for up to 100 people at each location.
The centers are at the Auburn Gold Country Fairgrounds; the Sierra College Grass Valley Campus, 14144 Lakeridge Circle in Magalia; the Harrison Stadium parking lot in Oroville; and the Alcouffe Center in Oregon House.
2 p.m. update: PG&E in a news release has confirmed it will implement a power shutoff in portions of Butte, Nevada and Yuba counties starting about 5 p.m.
PG&E is also tracking critical fire conditions expected Tuesday evening that could affect those three counties and six others in Sierra foothills and North Bay. A final decision for a Tuesday evening shutoff will be made late Tuesday morning, PG&E says.
Original story:
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. is now “expecting” to cut power to thousands of customers across three counties starting Monday evening, but the estimated number of affected customers has reduced greatly from previous estimates as critical fire conditions loom across Northern California.
PG&E said in a series of tweets shortly after noon that the utility was “expecting a PSPS event” for the Sierra Nevada foothills that would impact approximately 21,000 customers across Butte, Nevada and Yuba counties, starting around 5 p.m. PG&E also said no power would be cut for El Dorado, Placer or Sutter counties in the foothills; or in Lake, Napa and Sonoma counties in the North Bay.
As the National Weather Service announced a red flag warning would go into effect Monday afternoon through midday Wednesday for most of the Sacramento Valley, the North Bay and the foothills due to hot, dry and gusty conditions, PG&E announced a possible planned power shutoff with an initial estimate of 64,000 affected customers across six counties.
The estimate had nearly doubled as of Monday morning, to 127,000 customers throughout nine counties, before the reduced count was provided by PG&E in the early afternoon.
Information on public safety power shutoff events can be found on the PG&E website.
This story was originally published September 23, 2019 at 1:32 PM.
