SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
PG&E restored power today (Oct. 16) to all remaining customers whose
power was proactively turned off for safety on Sunday (Oct. 14) in
response to extreme weather conditions in the region. PG&E had restored
about two-thirds of impacted customers by Monday night, and the company
restored the last of the outages today.
PG&E chose to activate its Public Safety Power Shutoff Program, taking
the unprecedented step of proactively shutting off power to customers to
reduce risk of wildfire during this weather event. Approximately 59,000
PG&E customers were ultimately impacted by the public safety power shut
off. PG&E notified approximately 97,000 customers in advance of the
possibility that power would be turned off, but conditions did not
require all customers to be impacted.
When the weather conditions improved early Monday morning, PG&E crews
began the inspection of 3,400 miles of power lines and the restoration
process. This process, performed by helicopter, vehicle, and on foot,
identified multiple instances where power lines had been compromised by
the severe weather. Crews have now repaired the wind damage and have
also restored power.
During the event, PG&E proactively communicated with customers in
advance wherever possible and provided detail about restoration times as
the information became available. The company would like to express its
appreciation for the patience of customers while their power was off to
protect against potential wildfire ignitions.
“To all of our customers whose power was shut off, thank you for
understanding that public safety must come first. The decision to turn
power off is only done as a last resort and was made after considering a
critical set of conditions. We hope that our customers understand that
these steps are done for only one reason—to keep them safe and reduce
the risk of wildfires,” said Pat Hogan, PG&E senior vice president,
Electric Operations.
To bolster preparedness for future high fire-risk-related events, PG&E
is asking customers to:
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Learn whether their home or business is in or near a high fire-threat
area on the CPUC High Fire-Threat District map. Customers also can
visit pge.com/wildfiresafety
to enter their address and find out if their home or business is
served by an electric line that may be turned off for safety during
high wildfire threats.
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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 in advance of turning off
their electric service for safety, when and where possible.
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Prepare for and practice an emergency plan to keep themselves, their
families and/or employees emergency-ready and safe during an outage.
Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and
pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are
available at pge.com/wildfiresafety
Public Safety Power Shutoff is part of PG&E’s comprehensive Community
Wildfire Safety Program to reduce wildfire risks and strengthen our
communities for the future.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas
and electric energy companies in the United States. Based in San
Francisco, with more than 20,000 employees, the company delivers some of
the nation’s cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and
Central California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page.
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PG&E Corporation
Media Relations, 415.973.5930
Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company