SAN FRANCISCO—A widespread power shut off is expected Wednesday, October 9 and will continue through Friday, October 11 throughout the Bay Area. PG&E stated that over 800,000 customers would be impacted by the power outage. The PG&E shut off is due to an anticipation of severe high winds in various locations in and around the area. They are calling the outage PSPS, which stands for “Public Safety Power Shutoff.”
Dry conditions around the Bay Area and valley have created an environment that is conducive to massive fires. When the fires combine with severely high winds, there is a potential the blaze will grow rapidly and spread throughout the landscape and into surrounding communities. PG&E made the decision to cut power to most residential areas.
The adopted method of shutting off power to various counties intermittently impacted small businesses and residents. The company created community centers offering air conditioning, restrooms, and clean water for those impacted by the power outage. PG&E worked with companies including Comcast to restore internet connections and phone lines to small businesses.
PG&E has restored power to about half of its customers, and released the following update via Twitter:
“PG&E reported late Thursday (Oct. 10) that more than half of customers impacted by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) have had their power restored. About 426,000 out of a total 738,000 customers have been restored, including full restoration in Humboldt, Siskiyou and Trinity counties. About 312,000 customers remain without power.”
