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Extreme Weather Update for Sierra Foothills: As Second Wave of Weather Approaches, Power to Be Turned Off for Safety to Approximately 26,900 Customers in Portions of Butte, Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado and Placer Counties

 June 8, 2019 - 6:42 PM EDT

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Extreme Weather Update for Sierra Foothills: As Second Wave of Weather Approaches, Power to Be Turned Off for Safety to Approximately 26,900 Customers in Portions of Butte, Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado and Placer Counties

SAN FRANCISCO

As First Wave of Weather Passes, PG&E Begins Safety Inspections to
Restore Power to Approximately 1,600 Customers in the North Bay

Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) today announced that the company
will turn off power to approximately 26,900 customers in the Sierra
Foothills Saturday night and has started safety inspections for 1,600
customers in the North Bay whose power was turned off early Saturday
morning.

Public Safety Power Shutoff Being Executed for Sierra Foothills at
Approximately 9:00 p.m.

As part of the second wave of dry and windy weather conditions across
Northern California, PG&E continues to monitor extreme weather
conditions in the Sierra Foothills. Customers in portions of Butte,
Yuba, Nevada, El Dorado and Placer counties have been notified by PG&E
that they will have their power turned off for safety on Saturday, June
8 at approximately 9:00 pm. This Public Safety Power Shutoff event will
impact about 26,900 customers. Forecasts for the extreme weather
conditions are expected to last through noon on Sunday, June 9.

Areas where power will be shut off:

  • Butte County: Portions of Paradise, Oroville, Bangor, Forest
    Ranch, Chico, Berry Creek, Palermo
  • Yuba County: Portions of Browns Valley, Oregon House,
    Marysville, Wheatland, Rackerby
  • Nevada County: Portions of Auburn, Grass Valley, Smartville,
    Rough and Ready, Penn Valley
  • El Dorado County: Portions of Pilot Hill, Greenwood,
    Georgetown, Cool
  • Placer County: Portions of Lincoln

PG&E will be contacting customers soon by phone, email and text.

“Our Wildfire Safety Operations Center continues to monitor the weather
in the Sierra Foothills and throughout our service area. We want to make
sure all of our customers in these areas are prepared for a Public
Safety Power Shutoff by updating their contact information with PG&E,
having a personal safety plan and reviewing their emergency kits. We ask
customers and the public prioritize their personal safety,” said Michael
Lewis, PG&E’ s senior vice president of Electric Operations.

How Our Customers Can Prepare

As part of preparedness efforts for potential Public Safety Power
Shutoffs, PG&E asks customers to:

  • Update their contact information at pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by
    calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use
    this information to alert customers through automated calls, texts,
    and emails, when possible, prior to, and during, a Public Safety Power
    Shutoff.
  • Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration or
    devices that need power.
  • Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of
    emergency numbers.
  • Build or restock emergency kits with flashlights, fresh batteries,
    first aid supplies and cash.
  • Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and
    pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are
    available at pge.com/wildfiresafety.

Customer Notifications for Public Safety Power Shutoffs

PG&E will attempt to contact customers who live in these communities via
telephone, text and email.

Customers can access a live outage map at pge.com/outages
and learn more about the latest updates on Public Safety Power Shutoff
at pge.com/pspsupdates.
PG&E is working directly with CAL FIRE, Cal OES, and other state and
local agencies to help prepare for this safety event.

As part of these preparedness efforts, PG&E has asked customers to:

  • Learn whether their home or business is in or near a high fire-threat
    area on the CPUC High Fire-Threat District map. Customers also can
    visit pge.com/wildfiresafety
    to enter their address and find out if their home or business is
    served by an electric line that may be turned off for safety during
    high wildfire threats.
  • Update their contact information at pge.com/mywildfirealerts
    or by calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will
    use this information to alert customers in advance of turning off
    their electric service for safety, when and where possible.
  • Prepare for and practice an emergency plan to keep themselves, their
    families and/or employees emergency-ready and safe during an outage.
    Keep in mind family members who are elderly, younger children and
    pets. Information and tips including a safety plan checklist are
    available at pge.com/wildfiresafety.

PG&E remains committed to providing notice to customers in advance of a
Public Safety Power Shutoff, when possible. The company’s goal,
dependent on weather, is to send customer alerts prior to shutting off
power. PG&E will do so through automated calls, texts and emails. The
company will also use pge.com and social media channels and keep local
news and radio outlets informed and updated.

PG&E Crews Begin Safe Restoration of 1,600 Customers Impacted by PSPS
Event

PG&E has begun safety patrols and inspections of electric infrastructure
in select areas of Napa, Solano and Yolo Counties where it proactively
turned power off for safety to approximately 1,600 customers at 6:15
a.m. on Saturday morning.

PG&E crews must patrol the area and inspect the electric infrastructure
prior to power being restored. This process begins as soon as the
extreme weather had passed, and it is safe to do so. Inspections take
place during daylight hours and, in most cases, PG&E expects to be able
to restore power within 24 to 48 hours after the extreme weather has
passed, though weather conditions or repairs may impact restoration
times.

“Now that the first wave of extreme weather in the North Bay has passed,
our crews are in the process of inspecting the power lines and equipment
to ensure it is safe to restore power. We appreciate our customers’ and
the public’s patience as we work through this important safety step in
the restoration process,” said Lewis.

Public Safety Power Shutoff Criteria

No single factor drives a Public Safety Power Shutoff, as each situation
is unique. PG&E carefully reviews a combination of many criteria when
determining if power should be turned off for safety. These factors
generally include, but are not limited to:

  • A Red Flag Warning declared by the National Weather Service
  • Low humidity levels, generally 20 percent and below
  • Forecasted sustained winds generally above 25 mph and wind gusts in
    excess of approximately 45 mph, depending on location and
    site-specific conditions such as temperature, terrain and local climate
  • Condition of dry fuel on the ground and live vegetation (moisture
    content)
  • On-the-ground, real-time observations from PG&E’s Wildfire Safety
    Operations Center and observations from PG&E field crews

About PG&E

Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation
(NYSE:PCG), is one of the largest combined natural gas and electric
energy companies in the United States. Based in San Francisco, with more
than 24,000 employees, the company delivers some of the nation’s
cleanest energy to nearly 16 million people in Northern and Central
California. For more information, visit www.pge.com/
and www.pge.com/en/about/newsroom/index.page

Media Relations
415.973.5930

Source: Business Wire
(June 8, 2019 - 6:42 PM EDT)

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