ALERT Power Being Shut by PG&E in Sierra Foothills due to Fire Danger
- Thread starter Housecarl
- Start date
Some discussion buried in the drift...
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?543981-Aaaaaannnnnnnnd-I%92m-on-generator-power
http://www.timebomb2000.com/vb/showthread.php?543981-Aaaaaannnnnnnnd-I%92m-on-generator-power
PG&E cuts power amid red flag wildfire conditions
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. made the unprecedented decision to preemptively shut off power in parts of the Bay Area and Sierra foothills Sunday night in anticipation of gusty winds, bone-dry weather and other dangerous fire conditions.
Only people living in extreme-risk fire areas — a total of roughly 87,000 customers in 12 counties — were to be affected. The counties included Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Butte, Yuba, Plumas, Amador, El Dorado and Calaveras.
Areas across Northern California were to be impacted, from remote towns, to cities like Santa Rosa, Napa, Oroville and Auburn, to popular tourist getaways such as Nevada City, Calistoga and Healdsburg.
Communities in the Sierra foothills were to have their power turned off as early as 5 p.m. Scheduled shutoffs were then to roll through the North Bay later in the evening, when the National Weather Service had forecast strong winds and low humidity at higher elevations.
Many factors played into the decision to turn off the power, including a widespread red flag warning, on-the-ground reports from workers and humidity levels below 20 percent.
The goal is to limit the fire risk posed by live utility lines that can fall in a windstorm. Damaged electrical equipment has sparked some of the most destructive fires in California history, including many that swept through the Wine Country last year.
“We know our customers rely on electric service, and we would only consider turning off power in the interest of safety and as a last resort during extreme weather conditions,” said PG&E spokeswoman Megan McFarland. “Once the conditions are safe, our crews (will) work to restore power as quickly as possible.”
In the past, PG&E has resisted preemptively turning off power, saying it poses its own risks and could leave police, firefighters and hospitals with no electricity during an emergency.
After last year’s devastating fires, though, PG&E developed protocols detailing when and how to shut off power in the face of potentially life-threatening conditions. The utility has prepared for, but never executed, such an action.
As an added precaution, PG&E temporarily disabled devices called reclosers in the 12 high-risk counties. Reclosers automatically try to restart failed power lines using a pulse of electricity. While the devices can prevent or shorten blackouts, they have been implicated in past wildfires.
PG&E contacted residents who would be impacted. The utility’s goal was to send customers alerts 48 hours, 24 hours and just prior to shutting off power. McFarland asked that people update their contact information at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts.
Most customers are expected to have power restored by Monday night with some outages potentially lasting into Tuesday. PG&E will provide updates and information through social media, local news, radio and on their website.
Officials in Sonoma County, which was hit particularly hard by last October’s firestorm, said they had geared up for losing electricity this weekend after being warned by PG&E that it might happen.
“I do believe that the community would rather PG&E take proactive action than have the possibility of a repeat of the fires last year,” said Susan Gorin, a Sonoma County supervisor. “We are very sensitized to high winds, smelling smoke, and everybody is very aware of vegetation management. Any measures the government or utilities can take to lessen the risk of a repeat of the hellacious firestorms would be gratefully appreciated by the community.”
Power companies in Southern California often have shut down power during Santa Ana winds over the past decade.
San Diego Gas and Electric began adopting safety measures after the 2003 Cedar Fire, which burned 273,246 acres in San Diego County. The utility has created a fire safety network, including 170 weather stations, and regularly shuts down power during high winds.
“With so many fires pinpointed to electrical lines, when we have nights where winds are going to be 50 or 60 miles per hour, it makes sense to me,” said David Rabbitt, another Sonoma County supervisor.
North Bay officials said their main concern about such a system is that there is ample warning and specific information about which areas will lose power and for how long. That’s especially important for the elderly on respirators.
“It can only get better over the course of time,” Rabbitt said. “Still the benefits outweigh the consequences. We’ve got to look out for the greater good.”
The dangerous fire conditions will run through Monday morning in the North Bay and East Bay hills, said Brian Garcia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service
Winds are forecast to ramp up overnight, blowing from the east and reaching gusts as high as 65 mph in the hills of Sonoma and Napa counties, Garcia said. In the Bay Area, the weather service is also keeping a close eye on conditions in Marin, Contra Costa and parts of Alameda counties.
With most of the north state blanketed by a red flag warning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has increased staffing this weekend, according to the agency.
The California Office of Emergency Services has sent extra fire engines, firefighters and dispatchers to parts of the North Bay and East Bay.
“Reserve engines are all staffed, aircrafts are all staffed, inmate crews are heavily staffed and can respond in moment’s notice,” said Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean. “Look what happened a year ago. The conditions are ripe right now, and we all need to pay attention and be cognizant.”
https://www.sfgate.com/california-w...may-shut-off-power-amid-red-flag-13306256.php
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. made the unprecedented decision to preemptively shut off power in parts of the Bay Area and Sierra foothills Sunday night in anticipation of gusty winds, bone-dry weather and other dangerous fire conditions.
Only people living in extreme-risk fire areas — a total of roughly 87,000 customers in 12 counties — were to be affected. The counties included Napa, Sonoma, Lake, Sierra, Placer, Nevada, Butte, Yuba, Plumas, Amador, El Dorado and Calaveras.
Areas across Northern California were to be impacted, from remote towns, to cities like Santa Rosa, Napa, Oroville and Auburn, to popular tourist getaways such as Nevada City, Calistoga and Healdsburg.
Communities in the Sierra foothills were to have their power turned off as early as 5 p.m. Scheduled shutoffs were then to roll through the North Bay later in the evening, when the National Weather Service had forecast strong winds and low humidity at higher elevations.
Many factors played into the decision to turn off the power, including a widespread red flag warning, on-the-ground reports from workers and humidity levels below 20 percent.
The goal is to limit the fire risk posed by live utility lines that can fall in a windstorm. Damaged electrical equipment has sparked some of the most destructive fires in California history, including many that swept through the Wine Country last year.
“We know our customers rely on electric service, and we would only consider turning off power in the interest of safety and as a last resort during extreme weather conditions,” said PG&E spokeswoman Megan McFarland. “Once the conditions are safe, our crews (will) work to restore power as quickly as possible.”
In the past, PG&E has resisted preemptively turning off power, saying it poses its own risks and could leave police, firefighters and hospitals with no electricity during an emergency.
After last year’s devastating fires, though, PG&E developed protocols detailing when and how to shut off power in the face of potentially life-threatening conditions. The utility has prepared for, but never executed, such an action.
As an added precaution, PG&E temporarily disabled devices called reclosers in the 12 high-risk counties. Reclosers automatically try to restart failed power lines using a pulse of electricity. While the devices can prevent or shorten blackouts, they have been implicated in past wildfires.
PG&E contacted residents who would be impacted. The utility’s goal was to send customers alerts 48 hours, 24 hours and just prior to shutting off power. McFarland asked that people update their contact information at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts.
Most customers are expected to have power restored by Monday night with some outages potentially lasting into Tuesday. PG&E will provide updates and information through social media, local news, radio and on their website.
Officials in Sonoma County, which was hit particularly hard by last October’s firestorm, said they had geared up for losing electricity this weekend after being warned by PG&E that it might happen.
“I do believe that the community would rather PG&E take proactive action than have the possibility of a repeat of the fires last year,” said Susan Gorin, a Sonoma County supervisor. “We are very sensitized to high winds, smelling smoke, and everybody is very aware of vegetation management. Any measures the government or utilities can take to lessen the risk of a repeat of the hellacious firestorms would be gratefully appreciated by the community.”
Power companies in Southern California often have shut down power during Santa Ana winds over the past decade.
San Diego Gas and Electric began adopting safety measures after the 2003 Cedar Fire, which burned 273,246 acres in San Diego County. The utility has created a fire safety network, including 170 weather stations, and regularly shuts down power during high winds.
“With so many fires pinpointed to electrical lines, when we have nights where winds are going to be 50 or 60 miles per hour, it makes sense to me,” said David Rabbitt, another Sonoma County supervisor.
North Bay officials said their main concern about such a system is that there is ample warning and specific information about which areas will lose power and for how long. That’s especially important for the elderly on respirators.
“It can only get better over the course of time,” Rabbitt said. “Still the benefits outweigh the consequences. We’ve got to look out for the greater good.”
The dangerous fire conditions will run through Monday morning in the North Bay and East Bay hills, said Brian Garcia, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service
Winds are forecast to ramp up overnight, blowing from the east and reaching gusts as high as 65 mph in the hills of Sonoma and Napa counties, Garcia said. In the Bay Area, the weather service is also keeping a close eye on conditions in Marin, Contra Costa and parts of Alameda counties.
With most of the north state blanketed by a red flag warning, the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, has increased staffing this weekend, according to the agency.
The California Office of Emergency Services has sent extra fire engines, firefighters and dispatchers to parts of the North Bay and East Bay.
“Reserve engines are all staffed, aircrafts are all staffed, inmate crews are heavily staffed and can respond in moment’s notice,” said Cal Fire spokesman Scott McLean. “Look what happened a year ago. The conditions are ripe right now, and we all need to pay attention and be cognizant.”
https://www.sfgate.com/california-w...may-shut-off-power-amid-red-flag-13306256.php
night driver
ESFP adrift in INTJ sea
YO-YO.
Unless of course you hav a contract called " An UNINTERRUPTIBLE Contract" Oh wait, that's in GAS, not electric. 2DB! You got an apology coming but not from PG&E!
Too damn bad (2DB) about yer luck.
Unless of course you hav a contract called " An UNINTERRUPTIBLE Contract" Oh wait, that's in GAS, not electric. 2DB! You got an apology coming but not from PG&E!
Too damn bad (2DB) about yer luck.
Profit of Doom
Dismember
You’ve been put on notice. Freeze blocks of ice to put in your fridge, leave room for them. A freezer should last for well over a day without losing ice crystals in your food.
Think.
Better this than losing power for days from a fire, or losing your home for months.
Exactly. Stuff like this is why we prep! You live in a wildfire area, you may need to take precautions or actions because of that risk. Ditto blizzards, flood prone areas, hurricanes or tornado alley.
I'd far rather have to replace a fridge full of food than my entire house. But with a bit of planning, losses don't have to happen at all.
Summerthyme