NAPA COUNTY, Calif. (KRON) — Pacific Gas and Electric Company confirmed that Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) to prevent wildfires will impact about 51,000 customers in small portions of 18 counties starting tonight.
This is when PG&E intentionally turns off power when the forecast shows a high risk for wildfires.
Safety Shutoffs will begin between 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. depending on location, and restoration is expected Wednesday afternoon.
In the Bay Area, here’s who will be impacted:
- Alameda County: 18 customers
- Contra Costa County: 334 customers
- Napa County: 6,849
- Solano County: 1,093 customers
- Sonoma County: 1,864 customers
Here’s when Bay Area counties will be impacted:
6 p.m. Tuesday 8/17: Contra Costa, Napa, Solano, Sonoma counties
10 p.m. Tuesday 8/17: Alameda County
You can look up your address at www.pge.com/pspsupdates to see if PG&E is monitoring your location for the power shutoffs:
What to do before and during an outage (Tips from PG&E)
- Have key supplies on hand
- Flashlights for the household
- Battery-powered or crank radio
- Batteries in various sizes
- Mobile phone as backup if your landline will not work
- Cash and a full tank of gas
- Follow important safety tips
- Have an emergency plan in place, including pets
- Avoid using candles during an outage
- Know how to manually open your garage or any electric door
- Unplug or turn off appliances & electronics to avoid damage when power is restored
- Check on your neighbors
- Take precautions when using a generator
- Follow all instructions
- Test before using
- Position where exhaust can vent safely
- Do not run a portable generator in the rain
- Do not store fuel inside the house
A Red Flag Warning is also in effect in the North Bay.
Weather conditions include dry, gusty winds with low humidity. The Red Flag Warning Fire Weather Watch is expected to last from 11 p.m. Tuesday through Wednesday, 3 p.m.