PG&E Shutoffs: Closures, Inspections, More Shutdowns In Marin

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Hundreds of thousands of Pacific Gas and Electric Company customers in Northern and Central California — including more than 118,500 in Marin County — remained in the dark Monday due to the latest Public Safety Power Shutoff prompted by extreme fire weather conditions.

The utility company started cutting power Saturday evening across Marin County, the North bay and other portions of its service area in an effort to avoid sparking a wildfire during hot, dry and windy weather.

Also see: CA Wildfires Latest: Blazes Prompt Evacuations, Statewide Emergency

An estimated 965,000 customers — more than 2.5 million people — were affected as of Sunday evening by the planned power shutoffs, according to Mark Quinlan, PG&E's director of wildfire operations. Another 100,000 customers, as of Sunday, were experiencing outages due to downed power lines, fires or other problems not related to the shutdowns.

More Planned Shutoffs

With the power still out, the utility company announced it is planning for another round of shutoffs to begin Tuesday morning. At a media briefing in San Francisco Sunday night, Quinlan, said he expects Tuesday's power shutoffs to be on about the same scale in the North Bay as the shutoffs over the weekend. The next round of shutoffs, however, should affect somewhat fewer people in the rest of the Bay Area.

Also see: Extreme Fire Weather To Hit California Again Tuesday: PG&E Outages

PG&E has issued a weather "all clear" for the Northern Sierras and North Coast communities currently impacted by the Saturday shutoffs. By 10 p.m. Sunday, power had been restored to more than 30,000 customers.

As of 6 a.m. Monday, PG&E has started the process of inspecting their infrastructure throughout Marin, county officials said.

"While we are hopeful that power will be restored in Marin County as soon as possible, the process of inspecting power lines and fixing any damage from the wind before re-energization takes time," county spokeswoman Laine Hendricks said.

It is likely, however, that some PG&E customers in the Bay Area will not have their power restored from this weekend's shutdown before the next shutdown begins. The expected Tuesday morning shutoffs coincide with a weather pattern expected to trigger another significant "wind event," said Andy Vesey, PG&E's president and CEO.

"I urge all of you to be make sure to be ready for the fact your power may not come back" before a prospective Tuesday morning shutdown, Vesey said Sunday night. That preparedness, he said, includes keeping cellphones and other devices charged so emergency and safety messages can be spread.

The exact communities that will be impacted by the Tuesday shutoff have not been confirmed by PG&E.

County officials encouraged people whose power is restored between shutoff events to charge any medical equipment, phones and other electronic devices and to also restock emergency kits.

"While PG&E is working to restore power from the previous outage, some PG&E customers may remain out of power through the duration of this next potential Public Safety Power Shutoff," Hendricks said.

"If you see PG&E personnel in your neighborhood inspecting lines, please be kind to them and do not interfere with their work. The faster they can inspect and repair lines, the earlier power can be restored."

PG&E has been shutting off power proactively to prevent wildfires after utility lines started massively deadly and destructive fires over the last two years. PG&E has estimated that similar power shutoffs may be necessary for the next decade until the company can upgrade its technology.

Marin County Impacted

An estimated 118,535 customers were affected by this weekend's shutoffs in Marin. It is approximately 99 percent of the county, officials said.

Customers were impacted in the following cities and communities in Marin: Belvedere, Bolinas, Corte Madera, Dillon Beach, Fairfax, Fallon, Forest Knolls, Greenbrae, Inverness, Kentfield, Lagunitas, Larkspur, Marshall, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Nicasio, Novato, Olema, Point Reyes Station, Ross, San Anselmo, San Geronimo, San Quentin, San Rafael, Sausalito, Stinson Beach, Tiburon, Tomales and Woodacre.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Services has activated its Emergency Operations Center and is coordinating with other agencies within Marin.

Closures

All public schools were closed Monday in Marin except Bayside Martin Luther King Jr. Academy in Sausalito, according to the Marin County Office of Education.

The College of Marin has closed its Kentfield and Indian Valley campuses. The Kentfield and Indian Valley Campuses will remain closed until the day after power is restored to both campuses, school officials said.

The Dominican University of California in San Rafael was closed Monday and will be closed again on Tuesday.

Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) canceled commuter train service for Monday because of the ongoing shutoff impacts on local city traffic signal systems that cross SMART railroad tracks.

Also see: SMART Trains Canceled Monday Due To Power Shutdown

Marin County Parks has closed the following regional parks until further notice due to air quality concerns: McInnis (San Rafael), McNears Beach (San Rafael), Paradise Beach (Tiburon), and Stafford Lake (Novato).

The Golden Gate National Recreation Area closed the following areas for Monday: Stinson Beach, Beach Café, Muir Beach parking and Overlook, Rodeo Beach bathrooms, Marin Headlands Visitor Center and Muir Woods National Monument.

Charging Stations

Local agencies and community partners have opened a number of charging stations for residents to recharge their cell phones and other small devices. Residents should bring their own device charger.

• Bolinas: Bolinas Fire Department, 100 Mesa Road (9 a.m. to 5 p.m.)
• Corte Madera: Corte Madera Rec Center, 498 Tamalpais Drive (noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday)
• Corte Madera: Town Hall, 300 Tamalpais Drive (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday)
• Fairfax: Town Hall, 142 Bolinas Road (open 24 hours)
• Larkspur: Central Marin Police Station Community Room, 250 Doherty Drive (open 24 hours)
• Mill Valley: Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley (8:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday)
• Novato: Margaret Todd Center, 1560 Hill Road, Novato, CA (9 a.m. to 7 p.m.)
• San Anselmo: San Anselmo Library, 110 Tunstead (noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Wednesday, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday)
• San Geronimo: San Geronimo Valley Community Center, 6350 Sir Francis Drake Blvd. (noon to 4 p.m. Sunday)
• San Rafael: City Hall, 1400 5th Ave. (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily)
• Sausalito: City Hall, 420 Litho St. (9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily)

PG&E Community Resource Centers

PG&E has opened three community resource centers in Marin. In addition to charging options, PG&E is offering bottled water and snacks at the following locations:

• San Rafael: Albert J. Boro Community Center, 50 Canal St. (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily)
• Marin City/Sausalito: Marin City Health & Wellness Center, 630 Drake Ave. (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily)
• Novato: Old Hamilton Gym, 115 San Pablo Ave. (8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily)

Public Safety Message (From Marin County Sheriff's Office)

Making Emergency Calls When Cell Towers Lose Power

During a power shutofff, cell towers may lose battery power after a prolonged period of time. In the case of an emergency where your cell phone will not dial 911:

1. Land line phones will still call 911 (VoIP internet phones will not work).
2. Fire Stations and Marin County Sheriff Substations have phones with direct connection to emergency dispatch.
3. Find your closest local Public Safety Facility. If no one is at the first one you go to (might be on an emergency call, etc.) Please try the next facility closest to you.

Public Safety Agency buildings throughout Marin County:

• Belvedere Police – 450 San Rafael Ave., Belvedere
• Central Marin Police – 250 Doherty Drive, Larkspur
• Fairfax Police – 144 Bolinas Road, Fairfax
• Marin County Sheriff (Main Office) – 1600 Los Gamos, San Rafael
• Marin County Sheriff (Point Reyes) – 101 4th St., Point Reyes Station
• Marin County Sheriff Southern Station – 850 Drake Ave., Marin City
• Mill Valley Police – 1 Hamilton Drive, Mill Valley
• Novato Police – 909 Machin Ave., Novato
• Ross Police – 33 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross
• San Rafael Police – 1400 Fifth Ave., San Rafael
• Sausalito Police – 29 Caledonia St., Sausalito
• Tiburon Police – 1155 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon
• Central Marin Fire Station 13 – 5600 Paradise Drive, Corte Madera
• Central Marin Fire Station 14 – 342 Tamalpais Drive, Corte Madera
• Central Marin Fire Station 15 – 400 Magnolia Ave., Larkspur
• Central Marin Fire Station 16 – 15 Barry Way, Kentfield
• Kentfield Fire – 1004 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Greenbrae
• Marinwood Fire – 777 Miller Creek Road, San Rafael
• Marin County Fire (Marin City) – 850 Drake Ave., Marin City
• Marin County Fire (Point Reyes) – 101 4th St., Point Reyes Station
• Marin County Fire (Throckmorton) – 816 Panoramic Highway, Mill Valley
• Marin County Fire (Woodacre) – 33 Castle Rock Ave., Woodacre
• Marin County Fire (Tomales) – 26701 Shoreline Highway, Tomales
• Mill Valley Fire Station 6 – 26 Corte Madera Ave., Mill Valley
• Mill Valley Fire Station 7 – 1 Hamilton Drive, Mill Valley
• Novato Fire Station 61 – 7025 Redwood Blvd., Novato
• Novato Fire Station 62 – 450 Atherton Ave., Novato
• Novato Fire Station 63 – 65 San Ramon Way, Novato
• Novato Fire Station 64 – 319 Enfrente Road, Novato
• Novato Fire Station 65 – 5 Bolling Drive, Novato
• Ross Valley Fire Station 18 – 33 Sir Francis Drake Blvd., Ross
• Ross Valley Fire Station 19 – 777 San Anselmo Ave., San Anselmo
• Ross Valley Fire Station 20 – 150 Butterfield Road, San Anselmo
• Ross Valley Fire Station 21 – 10 Park Road, Fairfax
• Southern Marin Fire Station 1 – 333 Johnson St., Sausalito
• Southern Marin Fire Station 4 – 304 Poplar St., Mill Valley
• Southern Marin Fire Station 9 – 308 Reed Blvd., Mill Valley
• Tiburon Fire Station 10 – 4301 Paradise Drive, Tiburon
• Tiburon Fire Station 11 – 1679 Tiburon Blvd., Tiburon
• San Rafael Fire Station 51 – 1051 C St., San Rafael
• San Rafael Fire Station 52 – 210 3rd St., San Rafael
• San Rafael Fire Station 53 – 30 Joseph Court, San Rafael
• San Rafael Fire Station 54 – 46 Castro Ave., San Rafael
• San Rafael Fire Station 55 – 955 Point San Pedro Road, San Rafael
• San Rafael Fire Station 56 – 650 Del Ganado Road, San Rafael

Sheriff's officials advised people who experience a medical emergency to visit their local hospital:

• Novato Community Hospital – 165 Rowland Way, Novato
• Kaiser Hospital – 99 Monticello, San Rafael
• Marin Health Medical Center (Marin General) – 250 Bon Air Road, Kentfield

Officials also encouraged residents to stay off the roads to reduce the risk of traffic collisions due to power outages at traffic lights and intersections throughout Marin.

Bay City News Service contributed to this report.