Milpitas Power Outage: PG&E Starts Safety Shutdown

MILPITAS, CA — The second phase of PG&E's Public Safety Power Shutoff hit Santa Clara County late Wednesday night. The outages were expected to leave more than 38,000 county residents without power.

Initially scheduled to start around noon, the shutoff was delayed multiple times due to changes to the weather forecast, according to PG&E. The second phase will impact service for about 234,000 customers in the Bay Area and Sierra Foothills, according to PG&E.

The first phase of power outages started around midnight Wednesday in the North Bay.

As of Thursday morning, the outages were limited to the Milpitas hillside area, largely east of Old Piedmont Road, the city said on Facebook. Here's what the outages near Milpitas looked like by Thursday afternoon, according to a PG&E online map:

The shutoffs come as strong, dry winds are set to hit the area, creating a fire risk. The outages could last longer than 48 hours, and the agency is recommending that households prepare for the possibility of several days without power.

As of Thursday afternoon, here are the latest updates on what's happening around Milpitas (keep checking throughout the day for the latest):

• The Milpitas Sports Center at 1325 E Calaveras Blvd. will be open as a community resource center from 6 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday, with restrooms, water and charging stations.
• PG&E continues to update its maps at http://critweb-outage.pgealerts.com/. Please note that this site has been experiencing heavy traffic and may be slow at times. PG&E is also posting information on Twitter: @PGE4Me.
• No school or road closures have been reported.