PG&E Notifies Sonoma County Customers Of Potential Safety Shutoff

SONOMA COUNTY, CA — Nearly 2,000 Sonoma County customers were notified Friday by Pacific Gas and Electric Company about a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff starting early Monday morning.

Dry conditions combined with expected high wind gusts pose an increased risk for damage to the electric system that has the potential to ignite fires in areas with dry vegetation in parts of 15 counties, PG&E said.

High fire-risk conditions are expected to arrive late Sunday evening with high winds forecast to continue until into early Monday morning, peaking in strength during the day Monday, and possibly lingering in some regions through early Tuesday, according to a PG&E news release.

PG&E said late Friday that while there was still uncertainty regarding the strength and timing of this weather wind event, the shutoff was forecast to affect approximately 130,000 customers in targeted portions of 15 counties, including: Alpine, Amador, Calaveras, El Dorado, Fresno, Lake, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Sierra, Sonoma, Tulare, Tuolumne, and Yuba, as well as five tribal communities.

The highest probability areas for this PSPS are the Sierra foothills; the North Bay mountains and portions of the Central Coast. This is not expected to be a widespread event in the Bay Area at this time, PG&E said.

Once the strong winds subside, PG&E says its crews will patrol the de-energized lines to ensure they were not damaged during the severe weather. PG&E will then "safely restore power as quickly as possible, with the goal of restoring most customers within 12 daylight hours, based on weather conditions."

Potentially Affected Customers

• Alpine County: 574 customers, 7 Medical Baseline customers
• Amador County: 9,573 customers, 764 Medical Baseline customers
• Calaveras County: 10,759 customers, 440 Medical Baseline customers
• El Dorado County: 35,732 customers, 2,555 Medical Baseline customers
• Fresno County: 1,292 customers, 74 Medical Baseline customers
• Lake County: 1,223 customers, 67 Medical Baseline customers
• Monterey County: 333 customers, 7 Medical Baseline customers
• Napa County: 6,780 customers, 218 Medical Baseline customers
• Nevada County: 25,938 customers, 1,509 Medical Baseline customers
• Placer County: 24,918 customers, 1,586 Medical Baseline customers
• Sierra County: 1,099 customers, 23 Medical Baseline customers
• Sonoma County: 1,797 customers, 61 Medical Baseline customers
• Tulare County: 276 customers, 4 Medical Baseline customers
• Tuolumne County: 10,114 customers, 573 Medical Baseline customers
• Yuba County: 312 customers, 40 Medical Baseline customers

Total: 130,722 customers, 7,928 Medical Baseline customers

*The following Tribal Community counts are included within the County level detail above.

• Dry Creek Rancheria Tribal community: 8 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
• Jackson Rancheria Tribal community: 28 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
• Middletown Rancheria Tribal community: 8 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
• Shingle Springs Rancheria Tribal community: 49 customers, 2 Medical Baseline customers
• Tuolumne Tribal community: 100 customers, 5 Medical Baseline customers

PG&E's in-house meteorologists as well as staff in its Wildfire Safety Operation Center and Emergency Operation Center will continue to monitor conditions closely, and additional customer notifications will be issued closer to the potential event.

Customer notifications—via text, email and automated phone call—began late Friday afternoon, approximately two days prior to the potential shutoff. Customers enrolled in the company's Medical Baseline program who do not verify that they have received these important safety communications will be individually visited by a PG&E employee with a knock on their door when possible, according to PG&E. A primary focus will be given to customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment, the company said.