A strong and damaging winter storm system will progress through the Central Coast area tomorrow, Wednesday, and into Thursday. Widespread power outage impacts are expected due to wind, water run-off, and soil instability issues. This system is expected to bring moderate to heavy rain on the order of 1-3” for lower elevations and 3-6+” across elevated terrain. In addition, wind gusts in the 35 – 50 mph range are expected at lower elevations, with gusts from 55 – 65 mph possible across elevated terrain. PG&E has activated their Incident Management Team and have staged materials and crews in strategic locations to assist with storm damage response.
Please be prepared for the upcoming weather event with the following are a few safety tips from PG&E.
- PG&E encourages customers to have a plan, prepare for power outages, and above all else, stay safe.
- PG&E Customers can get updates on outages in their neighborhood through a variety of channels.
- Contact PG&E outage information line at 1-800-743-5002
- Access the PG&E Electric Outage Map online at pge.com
- Customers can also log-in to their PG&E account through pge.com and sign up to receive proactive outage alerts through email, text, or phone.
- 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 911 and by calling PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
- Use flashlights, not candles: 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, 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.
- Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works well in the freezer.
- Secure outdoor furniture: Deck furniture, lightweight yard structures, and decorative lawn items should be secured as they can be blown by high winds and damage overhead power lines and property.
- Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric 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 customers, as well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators, be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
- 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. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
- 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.