Power outages begin in California to prevent wildfires
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PG&E power outage in California
Power is out in Northern California and small businesses are suffering
Tod Pickett, 58, runs Man Cave Placerville, a company that produces custom signs and decor. He says his business, along with others on Main Street in Placerville, was part of the first wave of outages. Pickett estimates he's lost thousands of dollars in revenue so far.
Pickett joked about his time away from work and how to recoup his losses when the power for his business returns and criticized PG&E's decision to cut power in an attempt to avoid wildfires:
I understand why they did this, to a point, but to inconvenience 800,000 residents, I think it’s a little excessive. It’s costing this state billions in lost revenue and people are losing food, people are losing revenue for not being able to work. It’s devastating, it’s third world country-ish.
Some background: The strategic shut-down in California is an attempt to counter the high wildfire risks caused by heavy wind and dry conditions. Earlier this year, PG&E agreed to pay billions of dollars in damages for its role in a series of disastrous California wildfires.
PG&E intentionally cut power to hundreds of thousands customers to prevent wildfires
California's largest utility, Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) cut off power to parts of 22 counties in northern California Wednesday. Roughly 500,000 customers have been affected by the outage, and numerous schools have cancelled classes.
Here's why: PG&E says the shutdowns are to avoid sparking a wildlife. High winds, like those currently sweeping across Northern California, raise the risk for wildfire.
On Wednesday, the vice president of PG&E's Community Wildfire Safety Program said: "We took this step to ensure safety as a last resort, and we are committed to reducing the risk of catastrophic wildfire events."
The wind is expected to subside Friday. Then, PG&E crews will examine their system for damage and begin to restore power for customers left in the dark
Some context: PG&E has agreed to pay billions of dollars in damages for its role in a series of disastrous California wildfires—including the 2018 Camp Fire, the deadliest wildfire in California's history.
Studies have linked climate change to the increase in size of California's destructive wildfires. Since the early 1970s, California wildfires have increased in size by eight times and the annual burned area has grown by nearly 500%, one study found.
San Jose mayor: If streetlight at an intersection is not working, treat it as a four-way stop
With power cut off in 22 counties in California, street lights and other public utilities are shut down. What should you do if you reach an intersection without a working street light? Treat it as a four-way stop, according to San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo.
What to do: A four-way stop, also known as an all-way stop, requires all vehicles to come to stop at the intersection before proceeding.
If a driver arrives at the intersection and no other vehicles are present, the driver can proceed.
- Yield to traffic and pedestrians already in the intersection or just entering the intersection.
- Also, yield to the vehicle or bicycle that arrives first, or to the vehicle or bicycle on your right if it reaches the intersection at the same time as you.
- When you turn left, give the right-of-way to all vehicles approaching that are close enough to be dangerous. Also, look for motorcyclists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
- When you turn right, be sure to check for pedestrians who want to cross the street and bicyclists riding next to you.
The California Department of Transportation recommends all drivers use caution at intersections during the power outage.
#Safety - approach intersections with caution, treat non-working traffic signals as stop signs & be aware of your surroundings.
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Map shows widespread shutoffs across Northern California
PG&E has provided a Google Map with all the current shutoffs reported around Northern California.
The map will be updated every 15 minutes and shows the number of customers affected by the public safety power shutoff.
PG&E shut down power for about 500,000 customers in Northern California early Wednesday, but was able to restore it for about 44,000 during the day, the company said at a press conference.
"To protect public safety, PG&E has turned off power due to gusty winds and dry conditions combined with a heightened fire risk. Once the weather subsides and it is safe to do so, PG&E crews will begin patrolling power lines, repairing damaged equipment and restoring customers," the company stated online. "Outages (weather event plus restoration time) could last longer than 48 hours. For planning purposes, PG&E suggests customers prepare for outages that could last several days."
Some context: PG&E's new shutoff plan includes, for the first time, shutting down high-voltage transmission lines—arteries that feed smaller transmission and distribution lines. While this can cut power in risky areas, it also affects others on the grid, even cities where fire risks are not extreme.
CNN's Christina Maxouris, Jason Hanna and Theresa Waldrop contributed to this report.
Schools and universities closed due to PG&E power shutoffs
In an attempt to avoid sparking a wildfire, California's largest utility, PG&E intentionally cut power to hundreds of thousands of customers Wednesday, and power isn't likely to be restored for days, the company said.
The following schools and colleges in the area remain closed today to the outages:
- UC Berkeley
- Mills College
- Santa Rosa Junior College
- Sonoma State University (closed through Friday)
- Napa Valley Unified School District schools
- Cloverdale Unified School District schools
- Some Santa Rosa schools, Maria Carrillo High, Rincon Valley Middle, Santa Rosa Accelerated Charter School, Santa Rosa Middle, Hidden Valley Elementary, Proctor Terrace Elementary and Lewis Education Center will remain closed on Thursday Oct. 10
Second phase of PG&E shutoffs begin
PG&E has begun their “second phase of shutoffs," according to Jennifer Robison, Marketing & Communications with PG&E.
With wildfire threats high, California's largest utility, PG&E began intentionally cutting power to hundreds of thousands of customers Wednesday, calling it a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS).
“The second phase of shutoffs began with customers in the Sierra Foothills this afternoon. In the East Bay, South Bay and Santa Cruz counties, shutoffs began in the last half hour and we will continue de-energizing through midnight tonight,” Robinson said in a statement.
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