PG&E may shut off power to about 10,000 SLO County customers starting Wednesday
Dry offshore winds could prompt safety shutoffs through Saturday
– Pacific Gas and Electric Company may proactively turn off power to approximately 10,460 customers in San Luis Obispo County, including 357 Medical Baseline customers, beginning Wednesday evening, Oct. 14, because of a forecasted dry offshore wind event, according to the utility.
The potential Public Safety Power Shutoff could last through Saturday, Oct. 17, and affect about 70,000 customers across 29 counties statewide. The utility said the strongest winds are expected in the Sierra, the southern Central Coast, and portions of the North and East Bay, with humidity in the single digits and teens and extremely dry vegetation across most areas.
Atascadero, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, and unincorporated areas of the county are among the areas in the potential shutoff zone, Edhat reported.
The utility sent day-ahead notifications Tuesday afternoon to customers in targeted areas and said conditions may change. Employees will make in-person visits, when possible, to Medical Baseline Program customers who do not confirm they received the notifications, with a focus on customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment, according to the utility.
Customers can look up their address to see whether their location is being monitored for a potential shutoff at pge.com/pspsupdates. The utility said it is arranging Community Resource Centers, which offer restrooms, device charging, Wi-Fi, bottled water, and snacks, and will share locations once they are confirmed.
Residents can also call 211, text “PSPS” to 211, or visit 211.org for help preparing for an outage.
The utility said it considers low humidity, sustained winds above 19 miles per hour and gusts above 30 to 40 miles per hour, dry vegetation, Red Flag Warnings, and real-time ground observations when deciding whether to shut off power.
