SLO County reports parts of north county no longer in scope for PSPS outages

UPDATE (Thursday): Emergency officials in San Luis Obispo County report PG&E has determined the Public Safety Power Shutoff for Friday is no longer needed. However, people are still advised to be prepared as the situation could change.

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ORIGINAL STORY: Due to high fire danger, PG&E has announced possible power outages in northern San Luis Obispo County.

Possible Public Safety Power Shutoffs could impact people in north county areas as early as 10:30 Friday morning.

While the decision to turn off the power is managed solely by PG&E, emergency officials in San Luis Obispo County say they are ready.

“PG&E is required to contact us prior to issuing a PSPS event,” said Scott Jalbert, San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services director.

Local communities that could be affected by the potential outages include Oak Shores, parts of Heritage Ranch, and some areas around San Miguel, including Indian Valley, Hog Canyon, and Ranchita Canyon.

Jalbert says people should be prepared should the power go out.

“The PSPS event where there’s no power could cause some difficulties for some people,” Jalbert said. “We recommend that everyone go to READYSLO.org . We have a checklist and some considerations to think about for these types of conditions.”

Veronica Lopez, a San Miguel resident, says she’s prepared for emergencies.

“We have emergency cans and water bottles for sure,” she said

Anyone under PG&E’s coverage area can sign up for outage notifications.

“The other thing that we recommend for these PSPS events is to go to their PG&E PSPS website and there you can sign up to get notifications for your specific home,” said Jalbert.

Emergency services also recommended everyone to have flashlights, extra batteries, phones charged, gas tanks full, and other plans in place should the power go out.

County officials say that if the potential Public Safety Power Shutoff occurs, PG&E will open a community resource center, where people impacted can access basic resources, including charging stations, snacks, and water.