Power Outages And High Winds Roil Malibu, Ventura County

AGOURA HILLS, CA — Malibu and many cities in Ventura County are either out of power Thursday or on a watch list to prevent fires, as gusty winds and low humidity create critical conditions. Power will likely be shut off until at least the end of the Red Flag Warning Friday at 6 p.m.

In Malibu, hundreds are without power in the Point Dume area in a shutoff that started late Wednesday night and early Thursday morning. Southern California Edison reported two more power outages along Malibu Canyon Road. The city is continuing planned drive-through coronavirus testing at the parking lot of City Hall, which is also without power as of Thursday morning.

In Ventura County, 6,419 customers find themselves without power as of 10:15 a.m., according to SCE, while another 76,865 customers are under consideration.

According to the SCE website, power is out throughout most of Moorpark, and in several locations in Camarillo and Simi Valley. Meanwhile, almost all of Moorpark, Thousand Oaks, and Camarillo have been warned that their power could go out.

SCE has created community resource centers and crew vehicles in Moorpark, Fillmore, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks, where affected customers can charge phones and receive resiliency kits with light snacks, water, and personal protective equipment. See here for a full list of care locations.

Many schools in the county have been affected by the outages, including Moorpark Unified School District, Mesa Verde, and Walnut Canyon. Students will switch to distance learning.

A wind advisory is also in effect Thursday through 3 p.m. in much of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, with forecasts for winds up to 15 mph to 30 mph. Gusts of 25-35 mph are expected through Friday, according to the National Weather Service.