On Sunday October 20, 2019, PG&E announced they are considering pre-emptively turning off power for safety and implementing a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) as a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the forecasted severe wind event Wednesday and Thursday of this week. While San Joaquin County was initially included in the announcement, San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services has been advised that the scope of the potential outages had since narrowed, so San Joaquin County is no longer on the list of potentially affected counties at this time.
San Joaquin County Office of Emergency Services will continue to work closely with PG&E to monitor and share updates regarding this, or any other, PSPS events as they become available.
As part of PSPS preparedness efforts, PG&E is asking customers to:
- Update your contact information at PG&E online or by calling 1-866-743-6589 during normal business hours. PG&E will use this information to alert customers through automated calls, texts, and emails, when possible, prior to, and during, a Public Safety Power Shutoff.
- Non-account customers of PG&E can sign up for PSPS alerts at PG&E online.
- Plan for medical needs like medications that require refrigeration. For medical devices that need power contact your service vendor to set up a plan during an outage.
- Identify backup charging methods for phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers.
- Build or restock your emergency kit with flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies and cash.
- Know how to manually open electric garage door openers and gates.
- Use a thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer so you know the temperature when power is restored. Throw out the food if the temperature is 40 degrees or higher.
- Review the Draft San Joaquin County Hazard Annex Electrical System De-Energization Plan, a supporting annex to the San Joaquin Operational Area Emergency Operations Plan, which outlines procedures that guide a collaborative response by local governments, special districts, and allied agencies in the San Joaquin County Operational Area to the threat of or actual de-energization of electrical systems due to extreme fire danger conditions.
For the most current news and information, including maps and photos, follow San Joaquin County OES at SJReady.org, Facebook.com/SJCOES, Twitter @SJC_OES and by joining the Nextdoor neighborhood messaging service.