As the second significant storm of the fall season heads to Pacific Gas and Electric Company’s (PG&E) service area, the company urges its customers and their families to stay safe. After a light rain earlier this week, a stronger series of storms is expected to arrive later today through Saturday. The most significant impact is expected in the Bay Area, the Central Valley and along the Central Coast.

Gusty winds coupled with wet weather might interrupt electric service in some areas.

“As our customers and communities brace for these storms, we encourage everyone to have a plan and to be prepared for potential outages that could occur. PG&E prepares in advance for storms like the ones headed our way and our crews will be ready to respond to weather impacts and possible outages,” said Pat Hogan, senior vice president, Electric Operations.

It’s important to note, the company’s storm response won’t affect its on-going emergency response to the Camp Fire in Butte County. Currently, there are approximately 3,100 PG&E employees and contractors supporting the company’s efforts and will remain focused on restoration and recovery work.

Storm Safety Tips:

1. If you see a downed power line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch or try to move it—and keep yourself and others away. If you see damaged power lines or electrical equipment, call 9-1-1 immediately and then notify PG&E at 1-800-743-5002.
2. During a power outage, use battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of fire. If you must use candles, keep them away from drapes, lampshades and small children. Do not leave candles unattended.
3. Customers with generators should make sure they are properly installed by a licensed electrician in a well-ventilated area. Improperly installed generators pose a significant danger to crews working on power lines.
4.  If you experience an outage, unplug or turn off all electrical appliances to avoid overloading circuits and to prevent fire hazards when power is restored. Simply leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns. Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
5. For the latest information on power restoration, customers can call PG&E’s outage information line at 1-800-743-5002. Updates are also available through our Electric Outage Map online. Customers can also log-in to their account and sign up to receive outage alerts through email, text or phone. Visit pge.com/stormsafety for more.

Technology at Work for You
A wide range of factors, from the operation of state-of-the-art transmission and distribution control centers to the building of a smarter energy infrastructure to advances in forecasting and emergency planning, all contribute to better reliability during storms.

PG&E’s meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts, historic data and system knowledge to accurately show where and when storm impacts will be most severe. This model enables the company to pre-stage crews and equipment as storms approach to enable rapid response to outages.

For more information about outages and ways to prepare and stay safe during the storm, please visit pge.com/stormsafety. All information from PG&E