PG&E crews are dealing with multiple power outages across the Central Coast Monday.
Spanning from Cambria to Lompoc, the largest appears to be off Foothill Boulevard in San Luis Obispo and as of 3:24 p.m., was impacting 637 customers.
The outage was also causing signal outages at the intersections of Foothill and Patricia and Foothill and Tassajara.
San Luis Obispo police were urging drivers to use caution in the area as power was expected to be restored by 6 p.m.
Cuesta College canceled all face-to-face classes Monday evening due to a power outage impacting the San Luis Obispo campus.
By 4:15 p.m., a PG&E spokesperson says crews were responding to 48 different outages in San Luis Obispo and northern Santa Barbara counties.
Nearly 1,650 customers were impacted and the cause was "largely due to high winds," PG&E said.
In Santa Maria, more than 200 customers were impacted by an outage off Betteravia and Highway 135. Power was expected to be restored there by 5:15 p.m.
In Lompoc, power to 86 customers there was expected to be restored by 6:15 p.m., according to PG&E.
With a stronger storm system on the way, PG&E expected more outages to occur and offered the following safety tips:
• Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
• Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, animals and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
• Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready as a backup.
• Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the freezer.
• Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight yard structures and decorative lawn items should be secured as they can be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines and property.
• Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
• Turn off appliances: If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent 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.
• Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 8-1-1 or visit 811express.com at least two full business days before digging to have all underground utilities safely marked.
For information on outages, call the outage information line at 1-800-743-5002 or visit the Electric Outage Map online at pge.com
Customers can receive proactive outage alerts by logging into their online account.
