28,000 Could Lose Power In SoCal On Thanksgiving Amid Fire Danger

LOS ANGELES, CA — As many as 28,000 Southern California Edison customers could lose power in Los Angeles, Orange and Riverside counties on Thanksgiving as high winds were expected to rip through the Southland Thursday. Erratic Santa Ana winds were expected to cause elevated fire risk throughout the region.

The National Weather Service said gusty Santa Ana Winds would start Thanksgiving Day and last through Friday evening.

"Turning off our customers' power is not something we take lightly, but Public Safety Power Shutoff events are one of the ways we can better ensure the safety of the public, our customers, and our employees," Southern California Edison said on its website.

Utility companies issue Public Safety Power Shutoffs when weather elevates fire danger as strong winds can cause fires caused by electrical equipment.

Red Flag warnings were issued by the National Weather Service for a large portion of Los Angeles County and the Inland Empire. Wind gusts of up to 65 mph were expected to sweep through the Santa Monica Mountains, Santa Clarita Valley, San Gabriel Mountains and Malibu, according to the National Weather Service.

SEE ALSO: San Diego Gas & Electric May Shut Off Power Friday Amid Fire Risk

As of 4 a.m. Thursday, 21,059 customers in Los Angeles County, 5,762 customers in Riverside County and 2,683 customers in Orange County were under consideration for having their power shut off beginning around 3 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, Edison said.

The utility added that it generally sends customers a notice of a power shutoff 48 hours in advance.

"If your power has been shut off, we will restore power as soon as the weather conditions permit, and crews have inspected the power lines to confirm it is safe to restore power," Edison said.

An Edison spokesman told ABC7 if a customer's home is being considered for a power shutoff, they may want to prepare their Thanksgiving meal earlier than planned.

SCE customers can sign up for alerts to be notified if their power will be shut off.

In San Diego, where a potential 2,700 San Diego Gas & Electric customers could lose power due to high winds, the utility offered a few tips to keep Thanksgiving food from spoiling in case of a shutoff:

• Ahead of time, purchase or make ice cubes, and freeze gel packs. Check out local sources for dry ice and block ice, in case it should be needed
• Freeze refrigerated items such as leftovers, milk, and fresh meat and poultry not needed immediately
• Have coolers on hand to keep refrigerated food cold;
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible because a refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours if it is unopened, and a full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours if the door remains closed;
• If at any point, food was above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for two hours or more, or one hour if temperatures were above 90 degrees Fahrenheit, discard it;
• Once power is restored, check the appliance thermometer, and if the freezer thermometer reads 40 degrees Fahrenheit or below, the food is safe and may be refrozen; and
• When the power comes back on, check the temperature in the refrigerator or of the food and discard any perishable food that has been at refrigerator temperatures above 40 degrees Fahrenheit for four hours or more. Perishable foods with temperatures that are 45 degrees Fahrenheit or below should be safe but should be cooked and consumed as soon as possible.

The City News Service contributed to this report.

Santa Ana wind for later this week - Thanksgiving Day through late Friday evening. Strong NE wind gusts across much of LA/VTA Counties and low humidity. This is a cold #SantaAna so highs will be in the 60's to low 70's. #CAwx #SOCal #LAwind pic.twitter.com/BayKEsElFJ
— NWS Los Angeles (@NWSLosAngeles) November 24, 2020