Fairfax Households Will Be Affected By Power Shutoff

MARIN COUNTY, CA — Residents and business operators in parts of Marin County, including Fairfax, may be among the nearly 800,000 customers across 34 northern, central and coastal counties in California impacted by Pacific Gas and Electric Company's Public Safety Power Shutoff.

PG&E is implementing the preemptive power shutdowns just after midnight Wednesday in an effort to avoid sparking a wildfire during extreme weather and fire conditions.

Related: Red Flag Warning, Land-Use Restrictions In Effect For Marin

The utility company had initially announced parts of 30 counties in its service area would be affected, but on Tuesday said portions of Marin, Humboldt, Kern and Trinity counties have been added to the scope of the shutoff.

The previously announced affected counties include: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Glenn, Lake, Mariposa, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Barbara, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.

At 2:45 p.m. Tuesday, PG&E notified Marin County it would initiate a planned power shutoff in or near the areas of Bolinas, Fairfax, Mill Valley, Muir Beach, Olema, Sausalito and Stinson Beach by 4 a.m. Wednesday morning. The duration of the shutoff is unknown and will be determined by PG&E.

PG&E provided a map of the potential outage area in Marin:

"We are being proactive and mobilizing our resources due to the potential power loss and increased fire threat," said Supervisor Kate Sears, president of the Marin County Board of Supervisors. "Public safety is our No. 1 priority, and we will focus our efforts to ensure the safety and security of our residents – especially those with access and functional needs whose health could be impacted by the loss of power."

Sears said the decision to turn off the power and the speed at which it is restored is managed solely by PG&E. "We'll work alongside their staff to communicate updates using all our outreach tools," she said.

Fire agencies in Marin, including the Marin County Fire Department, have increased staffing resources.

The Marin County Sheriff's Office of Emergency Service is putting into motion its "Electrical System De-energization Response Plan." Additionally, it is coordinating with nearby response partners to monitor the power situation.

Seniors and others who may be adversely affected by an extended outage can contact Marin Health and Human Service's resource line at 415-457-INFO to access available resources.

PG&E officials asked people to visit the website at www.pge.com/psps for information on the specific areas affected by the shutdown, but the site was down for hours Tuesday.

"We are currently experiencing high volume of traffic to our website & understand your frustration w/ the delay of accessing #PSPS related web pages," PG&E wrote on Twitter. "We apologize for the convenience and thank you for your patience as our team is working as quickly as possible to restore access."

PG&E officials also asked people to call 877-9000-PGE to receive phone call alerts or to text "ENROLL" to 97633 to receive text alerts about the shutdowns.

PG&E will open community resource centers in various counties starting at 8 a.m. Wednesday. The centers will feature restrooms, bottled water, electronic device charging and air conditioned seating for up to 100 people per facility. See the full list of centers.

If the power is shut off, it could take up to five days to restore it. PG&E plans to inspect its power lines before re-energizing them.

Officials reminded residents and visitors that it is important to have a plan to adjust daily routines to one without power. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) recommends the following steps:

Stay informed

• Sign up to receive safety information on Nixle by texting your ZIP code to 888-777.
• Sign up for AlertMarin notifications to receive information on immediate threats to personal safety or property, tailored to an address of your choosing.
• Watch for wireless emergency alerts if evacuations are ordered, intended to reach all cell phones in the area.
• Sign-up for PSPS Zip Code Alerts by texting ENROLL to 97633 or by calling 1-877-9000-PGE.
• Update contact information with PG&E at www.pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589.

Review plans

• Identify several evacuation routes for your location in case roads are blocked. Tell someone out of the area which routes you plan to use.
• Keep vehicles fueled and ready in case of an evacuation.
• Make a list of what you’ll want to take with you if you leave your home quickly. Consider the Five P’s of Evacuation: People/Pets; Prescriptions; Papers; Personal Needs; Priceless Items.
• Talk to a medical provider about a power outage plan for medical devices powered by electricity and refrigerated medicines. Take stock of batteries and other alternatives to meet your needs when the power goes out.
• Take inventory of available supplies such as food, water, clothing, and flashlight batteries.
• Have some cash available in case retail point-of-sale devices are unable to accept credit cards during an outage.
• Check thermometers in refrigerators and freezers during an outage. Dispose of perishable food if the appliance temperature reaches 40 degrees or higher for an extended period.
• Keep mobile phones and other electric equipment charged.
• Know how to manually open electric garage doors and gates.
• For more information, including what to do during a power outage, visit www.readymarin.org and www.ready.gov.

Related:

• Red Flag Warning, Land-Use Restrictions In Effect For Marin
• Over 500,000 Without Power In CA As PG&E Starts Power Shutdowns
• Red Flag Warning Issued For Much Of NorCal: NWS
• Cal Fire Increases Staffing Amid Fire Danger Across California
• SMART Trains On Normal Schedule; Delays Expected Due To Shutoff