Nearly 16,000 Without Power Across Orange County

ORANGE, CA — Thousands of Orange County homes and businesses were affected by extreme wind gusts and downed power lines, according to a Southern California Edison spokesperson. As of late Monday morning, nearly 16,000 residents and businesses were without power, they said. By Tuesday, the majority of power had been restored across the county with less than 300 customers affected by downed lines.

The estimated times of restoration for sometime Monday evening to 4 a.m. Tuesday in some areas, the spokesperson said.

Check the progress of outage repairs near you by visiting SCE.com.

In a reminder, here is how SCE recommends staying safe during an outage:

• First, check for blown fuses or tripped circuits that may be the cause of the loss of power. Also, see if your neighbor has power. This will help determine whether there’s an electric outage.
• Switch off the lights (except one). You can help prevent damage to your electronics and appliances by unplugging them -- computers, stereos, televisions and air conditioners. After the electricity is restored, you can plug them in again.
• Get updates from a battery-powered radio if it’s a storm or emergency situation. If it’s a hot day, find relief from the heat at a nearby cool center.
• Keep a fully charged cell phone on hand. During power outages, you may lose phone service, and your cordless phone may also lose power.
• Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed. It helps keep the food cool. Before eating food items, check them for spoilage.
• Never light fires or charcoal indoors. If you are cold during a power outage, wear multiple layers of warm clothing.
• If you see a downed power line, do not touch it. Call 911 immediately.

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