Essentially All Customers Restored After Major Winter Storm System Impacts PG&E’s Service Area

Saturday, Dec. 27, 2:30 p.m.

PG&E restored power to essentially all customers impacted by this week’s winter storms.

PG&E CEO Sumeet Singh gives a video update and thanks customers for their patience as crews worked around the clock to get power back on.

Since the storm began, PG&E has restored power to nearly 811,000 customers—99% of those impacted.

This significant winter storm system produced the most systemwide power outages and the strongest wind gusts ever recorded in PG&E’s service area on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

The winter storm system came in three waves with damaging wind gusts exceeding 100 miles per hour on Christmas Eve, along with significant rainfall totals including over 8 inches on the North Coast and up to 7 inches in the Sierra and along the Central Coast.

Due to significant storm-related damage and access challenges caused by flooded roads, downed trees and debris, some customers in Mendocino, Monterey, Santa Cruz and Sonoma counties remain without power. PG&E has added extra crews to speed up restoration and get the power back on as soon as possible.

Customers with questions about restoration times can check PG&E's Outage Map here.

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Friday, Dec. 26, 10 p.m.

PG&E made significant progress today restoring power to customers impacted by the winter storms. Approximately 12,100 customers remain without power, down from 41,225 customers at 10:30 a.m. this morning.

PG&E will continue to safely restore service to customers tonight. In certain areas, serious storm-related damage and access issues may extend outages for a small subset of customers.

***

Friday, Dec. 26, 4 p.m.

As restoration progress continues, the majority of customers without power due to the storms will be restored by end of day today.

Due to storm-related damage and difficulty with access caused by flooded roads, downed trees and debris, a small subset of customers located in Monterey, Mendocino, Sonoma and Placer counties will be notified of extended restoration times.

Customers with questions about restoration times can check PG&E’s outage map here.

***

Friday, Dec. 26, 10:30 a.m.

PG&E crews and contract partners are working throughout PG&E's service area to assess damage, make repairs and restore customers. Since these storms first arrived on the evening of Dec. 23, approximately 654,000 customers have been restored. As of 9 a.m. today, Dec. 26, PG&E is working to restore the remaining 41,225 customers across the service area who are currently without power.

In some instances, needed repairs are extensive. In Monterey County alone, crews identified dozens of snapped poles and trees on power lines—there were over 30 different hazards identified in the Carmel area.

The storms had major impacts on the entire Central Coast, including Carmel. Top gusts were recorded at 69 mph on the coast at Pebble Beach and 44 mph inland on Dec. 24.

At first light today, more than 70 coworkers, including electric crews and vegetation crews from outside of Monterey County will join local crews to make repairs safely and as quickly as possible. We expect the majority of customers will have power back on by end of day today. Currently, approximately 12,000 customers are without power in Monterey County.

Grab-and-go bags will be available starting around noon today Branch Library located on Mission Street and 6th Ave, in Carmel.

Please see this update from Jason Regan, PG&E System Inspections Vice President. 

***

Thursday, Dec. 25, 5:30 p.m.

PG&E is prepared for another wave of adverse weather expected this evening and early tomorrow, bringing increased risk of power outages. Forecasts call for heavy rainfall, locally gusty winds and possible thunderstorms, first impacting the South Bay and Central Coast before moving north toward Humboldt, with effects lasting through midnight.

Crews remain on alert and are focused 24/7 to restore power safely as soon as it is safe to do so. 

***

Thursday, Dec. 25, 2 p.m.

PG&E crews are working 24/7 to restore power outages.  Since this storm started, we have restored power to over 455,000 customers, with 78% being restored within 0-6 hours.  The five-step process followed to ensure it is done safely and efficiently is to:

1. Make safe: During storms, our crews support first responders by clearing damaged equipment and other debris from roadways and other areas.
2. Patrol and inspect: Once weather conditions improve and it is safe to do so, our crews visually inspect for potential weather-related damage to powerlines, poles and towers. This is done by vehicle, foot, and air. 
3. Isolate and repair: Damage: If crews find equipment damage, they work to isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system. Other parts of the system can then be restored.
4. Restore power: Once the poles, towers and lines are safe to energize, our Control Center restores power to affected areas. 
5. Notify customers: We notify customers that power has been restored.

***

Thursday, Dec. 25, 9 a.m.

Overnight there was significant rain, snow and peak wind gusts topping 92 mph, causing widespread outages with the most significant impacts in Santa Cruz, Monterey, San Mateo, Sonoma and Nevada counties. Since this storm started, PG&E crews have restored power to over 383,000 customers, with 83% being restored within 0-6 hours.  

PG&E continues with an all-hands-on-deck response to outages with all emergency centers activated, and more than 8,000 coworkers and contract coworkers on storm duty. Work will continue 24/7 to safely restore power to our customers.

PG&E has opened a Community Resource Center in Guerneville in Sonoma County to support customers impacted by the winter storm. The center will offer blankets, snacks, water, ADA-accessible restroom and washing station, device charging, Wi-Fi and more. 

Location: Russian River Senior Center, 15010 Armstrong Woods Road in Guerneville 

Hours of operation: Dec. 25 from noon to 10 p.m. 

More information: https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/ways-we-can-help/#crc-table

***

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 5 p.m.

PG&E is closely monitoring and preparing for the second storm system in the series that is expected to bring strong winds, heavy rain, and possible thunderstorms tonight into tomorrow. Crews are continuing to work safely to restore power to customers impacted by storm outages in advance of this second storm. PG&E has restored over 165,000 customers with 85% of restorations occurring within 0-6 hours of the outage occurring.

Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 9-1-1 and then PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.

***

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 2 p.m.

Crews are continuing to work safely to restore power to customers impacted by storm outages. PG&E has restored over 134,000 customers with 89% of restorations occurring within 0-6 hours of the outage occurring.

The counties with the most significant impacts include Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Cruz, Mendocino, and Fresno counties. Power has been fully restored to approximately 16,500 customers following an outage due to equipment failure at the Saratoga Substation. Crews completed restoration within 3.5 hours. 

***

Wednesday, Dec. 24, noon

The first of two significant winter storms causing heavy rains and strong winds continues to impact customers with power outages. Crews are assessing the damage and restoring customers as quickly as possible in advance of the second storm wave that is expected tonight. As of 12:00 p.m., there are approximately 75,000 customers without power. We have restored more than 134,000 customers affected by yesterday's storm. The counties with the most significant impacts include Santa Clara, Sonoma, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and Mendocino counties. We are preparing for a second storm expected Wednesday evening that is expected to bring gusty winds and moderate to heavy rain.   

Additionally, as of today at noon, all customers in Santa Clara County who were affected by an equipment failure this morning at the Saratoga Substation have been restored. Our top priority is ensuring the safety of the public, our employees, and the surrounding area. 

***

Wednesday, Dec. 24, 9 a.m.

The first of two significant winter storms arrived overnight Tuesday into the early morning today with heavy rains and strong winds. A peak gust of 109 MPH was measured near Humboldt, with gust of more than 84 MPH observed near Santa Cruz and more than 91 MPH near Big Sur.

By 4:30 a.m. more than 125,000 customers were without power. Crews began to assess damage and began restoration efforts before sunrise. By 9 a.m. nearly 10,000 had been restored. Restoration efforts will continue throughout the day as crews prepare for a potentially stronger storm wave to arrive tonight.

***

Tuesday, Dec. 23, 4:30 p.m.

A pair of powerful winter storms are expected to hit Northern and Central California this week. The storms will bring heavy rain, strong winds, and snow to the mountains.

The first storm will arrive Tuesday night and continue into Wednesday morning. After a short break, the second storm will move in Wednesday night and last until Thursday morning. 

PG&E is prepared for these storms with a full emergency response with all emergency centers activated.  More than 5,500 PG&E front-line coworkers and contractors will be on storm duty.

Equipment is already in place to address power outages quickly. Materials like power poles, wires, powerlines, and transformers are stationed at yards to help restore electricity safely and as fast as possible.

Residents should stay alert and be prepared for possible outages and dangerous weather.

Faster online outage info

If an outage does occur, PG&E's online outage center has been updated and improved based on customer feedback. Significant changes include:

• Faster loading times to find important outage information.
• An Outage Status Tracker so customers can get status updates on the assessment and repair of their outage.
• More local information on the extent of outages around a customer's home and business
• More information on how to prepare ahead of outages, what causes outages and how PG&E prioritizes restoration work.

PG&E will let customers know the cause of an outage, when crews are on their way, the estimated restoration time and when power has been restored.

If receiving an outage text, customers can reply "status" to learn the latest information on the outage without visiting the outage page.

Other tips can be found at: Safety and Preparedness, Storm Safety, and Safety Action Center.

***

Monday, Dec. 22, 8 a.m.

Ahead of a pair of strong winter storms expected to bring heavy rain, strong winds and mountain snow to Northern and Central California during the holiday week, PG&E crews are readying to respond to expected power outages.

The storms are forecast to move through the PG&E’s service area with the first system arriving on Tuesday followed by the second system later in the day on Wednesday. They could result in widespread outage activity. PG&E’s in-house meteorologist says parts of the North Coast could see from four to 10 inches of rain. Snow levels are expected to be above 6,000 feet.

PG&E has activated its Emergency Operations Center as well as regional and local storm rooms. Although impacts are anticipated system-wide, PG&E is pre-positioning additional crews where storm impact is expected to be most severe. More than 5,500 PG&E front-line coworkers and contractors will be on storm duty, including more than 1,500 gas and electric crew personnel and nearly 3,000 available tree workers.

“Just as PG&E prepares for natural disasters and emergencies, we encourage our customers to prepare as well,” said Peter Kenny, PG&E’s Senior Vice President of Electric Operations. “These storms have the potential to disrupt holiday plans; therefore, we have prepositioned resources and will be an all-hands-on-deck response from PG&E to safely restore power as quickly as possible.”

The utility also has been communicating with cities and counties to share preparation and plans.

Storm safety tips

Just as PG&E follows its plan to prepare for and respond to a storm, customers are urged to prepare their families and neighbors as well. Here are some storm safety tips:

• Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed power lines immediately by calling 9-1-1 and then PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
• Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric generators should ensure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to customers, as well as crews working on powerlines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
• Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights and not candles, due to the risk of fire. And keep extra batteries on hand. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes, lampshades, animals and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
• Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready as a backup. Having a portable charging device helps to keep your cell phone running.
• Have fresh drinking water and ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer to prevent food spoilage.
• Secure your outside furniture: Strong winds can blow lawn chairs and other outdoor items into powerlines.
• Turn off appliances: 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.
• Safely clean up: After the storm has passed, be sure to safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always call 8-1-1 or visit 811express.com at least two full business days before digging to have all underground utilities safely marked.

Faster online outage info

If an outage does occur, PG&E's online outage center has been updated and improved based on customer feedback. Significant changes include:

• Faster loading times to find important outage information.
• An Outage Status Tracker so customers can get status updates on the assessment and repair of their outage.
• More local information on the extent of outages around a customer's home and business
• More information on how to prepare ahead of outages, what causes outages and how PG&E prioritizes restoration work.

PG&E will let customers know the cause of an outage, when crews are on their way, the estimated restoration time and when power has been restored.

If receiving an outage text, customers can reply "status" to learn the latest information on the outage without visiting the outage page.

Other tips can be found at: Safety and Preparedness, Storm Safety, and Safety Action Center.