CENTRAL CALIFORNIA – With a series of wet storms hitting Northern and Central California, now is the time to sign up for emergency alerts from the Sheriff’s Office. Residents are advised to do so now — it only takes a minute.
In Madera County, MCAlert is used in the event of emergencies or natural disasters such as floods and severe weather, and for locating missing persons, through Amber or Silver Alerts when necessary. You can be notified by cell phone, home phone, text or email. Register online here, or simply text your zip coded to 888777.
Mariposa County residents can sign up for the same comprehensive service through their alert system at http://www.mariposacounty.org/index.aspx?NID=82 and scroll down to click on Nixle Alerts, or by texting their zip code to 888777.
Also, PG&E is reminding its customers that power outages might occur due to significant rainfall, potential flooding and high winds. They are implementing their emergency preparedness plans and utilizing advanced technology to be ready to restore service to impacted customers safely and as quickly as possible.
“California needs the rain and snow, but wet weather can create hazardous conditions,” says Pat Hogan, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Transmission and Distribution. “With storms bearing down on our region, we want our customers to know that PG&E is prepared, that we’re mobilizing resources and that we will work around the clock to restore service to customers. Likewise, we encourage our customers to have a personal or family preparedness plan in place and – above all else – stay safe.”
PG&E urges customers to stay safe during storms and remember the following safety tips:
- 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 and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
- Customers with 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 crews working on power lines.
- 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.
- Always treat low hanging and downed power lines as if they are energized and extremely dangerous. Keep yourself and others away from them. Be aware that trees, pools of water and other objects that may be in contact with power lines. If you see damaged power lines or electrical equipment, call 911 immediately and then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
PG&E meteorologists forecast that much of the energy company’s service area will be impacted by storms from Saturday through Monday with additional storms on the horizon.
In some places, several inches of rain could fall, creating the potential for flooding and landslides. Anyone recreating near rivers and streams is urged to be aware of the higher flows and take precautions.
For tips on being prepared for power outages, visit pge.com/beprepared.
Customers can sign up for outage alerts or by checking the outage map on www.pge.com.
