Plan B Forum

PG&E confirms power will shut off to 800,000 customers statewide

After days of warning, Pacific Gas & Electric confirmed Tuesday afternoon that 800,000 customers across 34 California counties would be left in the dark starting at midnight.

The utility planned the shut-off as a precaution due to high wildfire risk.

"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," PG&E said in a statement.

PG&E said it would communicate with affected customers directly via automated calls, texts and emails. It also created a map of affected areas, which you can check for your neighborhood. PG&E's site was intermittently down Tuesday, so we've put some of the maps in the gallery at the top of this story.

PG&E said the shutoffs would begin starting just after midnight early Wednesday morning. PG&E meteorologists forecast high winds to last until mid-day Thursday, but power could be out for several days longer.

"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," the company said.

The outages could last "five days or longer" in some areas.

The weather this week is expected to be dry and windy, which makes the risk of a catastrophic wildfire high, PG&E officials said. The utility company wants to shut off power so its electric equipment doesn't start a wildfire as has happened in recent years.

The number of potential customers affected in each Bay Area county, according to PG&E, is:

32,613 customers in Alameda County
40,219 customers in Contra Costa County
66,289 customers in Sonoma County
32,124 customers in Napa County
14,766 customers in San Mateo County
38,123 customers in Santa Clara County
32,862 customers in Solano County
9,855 customers in Marin County

San Francisco County was not expected to be affected (Lord Jim, a privileged old white man, apparently has some influence there).

You'll all be happy to know that I am also not currently (get it? like electric current?) impacted by this planned outage.

Joe Guy wrote:Is today tomorrow where you live?

The outages could last "five days or longer" in some areas.

I can’t help but think of the folks living at home with serious medical issues who need electricity to survive. Yes, most such folks have generators in place, but for how long should they be expected to rely on that backup system?

It’s still today here but tomorrow never knows.

BoSoxGal wrote: Is there no technology available to deal with sparks flying off power line connections other than shutting off the power? Or does the technology just cut too deeply into profit margins and shareholder returns?