SAN FRANCISCO — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) has begun patrolling lines de-energized by the Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) that started Monday night, Jan. 18, and affected approximately 5,000 customers in seven counties.
This morning, PG&E meteorologists issued the weather all-clear for remaining portions of areas affected by the PSPS. Company meteorologists previously issued the all-clear at 2 p.m. Tuesday for some PSPS-affected circuits in Madera, Mariposa, Fresno, and Tulare counties. Restorations have begun where possible.
The weather all-clear signal is given once the severe weather subsides. It allows electric crews to begin patrolling in the air, in vehicles and on foot nearly all power lines that were de-energized. Once lines are inspected and found free of damage or hazards, PG&E can proceed with restoring power to customers.
PG&E is working to restore power to all customers affected by the PSPS that began Monday by the end of the day on Wednesday. As part of this restoration effort, crews will patrol more than 439 miles of transmission and distribution lines to ensure that no damage or hazards exist before those lines can be reenergized and those customers restored. Efforts related to this PSPS event will include 64 crews and up to 11 helicopters.
The restoration process PG&E follows includes these steps:
1. Patrol – PG&E crews work to look for potential weather-related damage to the lines, poles and towers. This is done by foot, vehicle and air.
2. Repair – Where equipment damage is found, PG&E crews work to isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system so other parts of the system can be restored.
3. Restore – Once the poles, towers and lines are safe to energize, PG&E’s Control Center can complete the process and restore power to affected areas.
4. Notify Customers – Customers are notified that power has been restored.
For more information on the PSPS event, visit pge.com/pspsupdates.
To support customers in areas where a PSPS is happening, PG&E continues to operate Community Resource Centers (CRCs) in seven locations where community members can access resources and keep their families and their communities safe. Further information on the CRCs can be found at www.pge.com/crc.
All CRCs will follow important COVID-related health and safety protocols including:
• Everyone in a CRC is required to wear facial coverings and maintain a physical distance of at least six feet from those who are not part of the same household.
• Everyone entering an indoor CRC will receive a temperature check.
• CRC staff are trained in COVID-19 precautions and will regularly sanitize surfaces and use Plexiglass barriers at check-in.
• All CRCs will follow county and state requirements regarding COVID-19, including limits on the number of customers permitted indoors at any time.
