Here’s what to do if PG&E shuts off power in some Central Valley areas

FRESNO, Calif. ( KSEE/KGPE ) – PG&E has notified thousands of customers in the North Central Valley about a possible public safety power shut-off, and although no decision has been made yet, PG&E officials advise the public what to do in case a power shut-off happens.

16,000 PG&E customers could soon be dealing with no power at their homes. That’s due to dry and hot conditions mixed with high winds that can create fire conditions.

“The wind is really the most important factor because when you have all those other factors, plus wind, there is the potential, particularly with heavier wind speeds of knocking down a power line or knocking power line into vegetation,” PG&E representative Jeff Smith said.

PG&E is staying proactive with possible fire conditions on the way for northern counties in the Central Valley. Thousands of customers in seven counties could temporarily lose power on Saturday, July 20.

“We’ve made notifications to about 4000 customers in Merced County as well as to a few other counties around the state of the possibility of a public safety power shut off, or PSPS,” Smith said.

Only three customers in Fresno County are expected to be impacted if a PSPS is initiated. PG&E reached out to its customers through automated phone calls, emails, and texts to notify them about a possible power shutdown.

“There have been a few other times when we’ve been kind of in a similar circumstance where we are today, where we notified customers that we were evaluating the situation but didn’t ultimately need to call for the PSPS,” Smith said.

But a decision to shut down power has not yet been made. PG&E crews will make that decision around noon on July 20. If they decide to shut down power, smith has a tip for concerned folks who have perishable items in their refrigerator.

“One of the things I always like to recommend is that if you have empty two-liter soda bottles, go fill those with water, put them in their freezer right now so they’re frozen, and then you move that into your refrigerator and that should help keep your perishables from going bad,” Smith said.

Smith says the energy company has to make sure their equipment won’t start fires in the dry, hot, and windy conditions.

“We actually need to inspect the entirety of those lines to ensure that there’s no obstruction, no vegetation on the line, which is the reason that we initiated it in the first place,” Smith said.

In Merced County, 17 cooling zones are still available until Oct. 31. You can find all the cooling locations here. If you want to stay up-to-date on PG&E’s possible power shut-off, click here.

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