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State Tells PG&E More Notice Needed Before Wildfire Power Shut Offs

The California Office of Emergency Services says Pacific Gas and Electric Company is need warn people earlier about decisions to shut off power in an effort to avoid sparking wildfires. Cal OES spokesman Kelly Huston says his organization is hoping to work more closely with PG&E, so residents and emergency services providers in areas where the power shut offs are likely to happen can have more time to react.

"The consequences downstream of shutting the power off can be pretty major," says Huston. The impact obviously does depend on how many people and customers are affected.

Shortly after filing for bankruptcy earlier this year, PG&E officials said they were establishing a policy to shut off electricity to certain communities during times of high winds and extreme temperatures. Their plan has been to give customers 24 to 48 hours notice if possible. That didn't happen on June 7th of this year, when the utility company cut off power to 22,000 people in Northern California with only a few hours notice.

Currently, customers are notified through emails and text messages of planned power outages, according to PG&E spokeswoman Brandi Merlot. "We are committed to trying to alert customers, but you know weather is dynamic and change quickly." That was the case when power needed to be shut off immediately on June 7th, she added. She says the company is constantly monitoring conditions as wildfire danger rises.

At this point the best option PG&E offers for you to get notifications is to sign up for them and update your customer contact information online at pge.com/wildfiresafety.

Cal OES also provides wildfire power shut off preparedness information at their website.


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