SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--
As the first storm of the season moves toward Northern and Central
California packing rain and gusty winds, Pacific Gas and Electric
Company (PG&E) is hard at work preparing for the storm. The energy
company also encourages customers to have a plan, update their plan and
to prepare for potential power outages. Above all else, PG&E reminds
everyone to stay safe.
PG&E meteorologists say a series of early season storm systems will
impact some parts of Northern and Central California starting Thursday
afternoon and continuing on and off through the weekend. The storm
series brings rain, along with breezy and gusty winds to the northern
region and will also extend south to the Bay Area. PG&E is closely
tracking the weather system and mobilizing crews and materials into
areas that will feel the brunt of the storm, so they can get to work and
restore service to impacted customers more quickly.
“Leveraging a combination of preparedness, practice and technology, PG&E
is ready to respond to the first storms of the winter season that are
approaching our service territory. Likewise, we encourage our customers
to take the time now to make a plan or review their personal and family
preparedness plans before the storm arrives,” said Barry Anderson, vice
president, Electric Distribution, PG&E.
PG&E routinely practices its preparedness and response to storms and
other emergencies through company exercises and through drills with
local first responders. The company also utilizes the latest technology
to restore power more quickly and efficiently after a storm. This
includes the use of storm damage prediction models, the installation of
automated equipment that "self-heals" the electric grid, and a network
of more than 5 million electric SmartMeters that provide timely and
accurate outage data.
PG&E urges customers to stay safe during storms and remember the
following safety and readiness tips.
Be prepared before storms arrive:
-
Have battery-operated flashlights and radios with fresh batteries
ready. Listen for updates on storm conditions and power outages.
-
If you have a cordless phone or answering machine that requires
electricity to work, have a standard telephone or cell phone ready as
a backup.
-
Keep your cell phone charged, and have a portable charging device
handy.
-
Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that
can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent
food from spoiling.
If outages occur:
-
Stay away from downed power lines. Treat all downed power lines as if
they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others
well away from them and immediately call 911, then notify PG&E’s
24-hour emergency and customer service line at 1-800-743-5002.
-
Candles pose a fire risk. Avoid using them during a power outage. If
you must use candles, keep them away from drapes, lampshades and small
children. Do not leave candles unattended.
-
If your power goes out, unplug or turn off electric appliances to
avoid overloading circuits and fire hazards when power is restored.
Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn
your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
For the latest information on power restoration, customers can call
PG&E’s outage information line at 1-800-743-5002. Updates are also
available through a live outage map online at www.pge.com/outages.
In addition, PG&E also encourages customers around waterways to take
appropriate precautions as rains could result in an increase in water
flows, creating potentially dangerous conditions. Safety tips can be
found here.
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 utilities 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.
http://www.pgecurrents.com/
http://www.facebook.com/pacificgasandelectric
https://twitter.com/pge4me
http://www.linkedin.com/company/pacific-gas-and-electric-company
http://www.youtube.com/user/pgevideo
View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161013006410/en/
Source: Pacific Gas and Electric Company