115,000 IE Homes May Lose Power Amid Shutoff Warning, Red Flag Event

MURRIETA, CA—Over 115,000 Southern California Edison customers across the Inland Empire were alerted they may lose power temporarily due to Santa Ana wind conditions and dangerous fire weather. On Tuesday, more than 9,000 Riverside County customers had their power shut off as part of the utility's Public Safety Power Shutoffs, an SCE spokesperson said.

The dry winds created dangerous wildfire conditions, and there is a potential for downed power lines that could start a wildfire, SCE spokesperson Gabriela Orneals told Patch. As of 3 p.m. Tuesday, 8,590 Riverside County residents and businesses, and another 9,530 San Bernardino residents and businesses, had yet to regain power.

"We are dependant on the weather before we can start turning power back on," Ornelas said. "If it's still windy in your area, it could take longer."

As sustained winds lower in strength, forecasts show wind gusts will continue overnight.

"We are watching to see when it is safe to restore power in those areas where it was shut off," SCE spokesperson Gabriela Ornelas. "Customers can type in addresses to confirm if their homes are without power, or are in a power safety shutoff zone, and it could take up to 8 hours to fully restore power after it is shut off."

The National Weather Service has declared much of the Inland Empire would remain under a Red Flag Warning until 4 a.m. Wednesday, with winds sustained around 25 miles per hour and gusts up to 35 miles per hour throughout the day. The wind should decrease overnight, with gusts lowering to 20 mph, according to NWS reports.

"Once it is safe to inspect power lines to ensure all is safe," Ornelas said. "We understand losing power is a hardship, and customers can file claims for food loss on theSCE.com website."

According to SCE, community support resource centers have been opened for those affected by the outages.

• Holiday Inn Express & Suites, 1864 Oak Valley Village Circle, Beaumont
• Family Service Association / James A Venable Community Center
  50390 Carmen Ave., Cabazon
• Eastvale City Hall, 12363 Limonite Ave., Eastvale
• Idyllwild Community Center, 25925 Cedar Street, Idyllwild
• Jurupa Community Center, 4810 Pedley Road, Jurupa Valley
• San Jacinto Community Center, 625 S. Pico Ave., San Jacinto