Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) said an estimated 21,000 customers in nine counties — including San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties — may experience a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) on Monday night due to fire risk.
Dry conditions combined with high wind gusts pose an increased risk for damage to the electric system, which could cause a fire in areas with dry vegetation, according to a news release from PG&E.
The counties that may experience a PSPS are as follows:
- Calaveras County: 5,291 customers, 183 Medical Baseline customers
- Fresno County: 2,220 customers, 139 Medical Baseline customers
- Kern County: 762 customers, 39 Medical Baseline customers
- Madera County: 289 customers, 20 Medical Baseline customers
- Mariposa County: 2,532 customers, 163 Medical Baseline customers
- San Luis Obispo County: 2 customers, 0 Medical Baseline customers
- Santa Barbara County: 621 customers, 18 Medical Baseline customers
- Tulare County: 435 customers, 8 Medical Baseline customers
- Tuolumne County: 9,734 customers, 554 Medical Baseline customers
Since the potential PSPS is two days away, PG&E in-house meteorologists will continue to monitor conditions and will alert customers as Monday gets closer, said PG&E officials.
A PG&E spokesperson said it is not likely that any Bay Area counties will need a PSPS due to recent rains, relatively high humidity levels and the lack of any Red Flag Warnings in the region.
Should the PSPS go into effect Monday night, PG&E officials said they will open Community Resource Centers (CRCs) to support any affected customers. CRCs will provide ADA-accessible restrooms and hand-washing stations, medical-equipment charging, Wi-Fi, bottled water and non-perishable snacks.
PG&E officials advise anyone who sees a downed power line to not touch or try to move it and to keep children and animals away.
Report downed power lines by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
To learn more about the possible PSPS event, visit PG&E's website here.
