OAKLAND,
Calif., Nov. 14, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- A November
storm is bringing rain and wind to much of Northern California and serves as a reminder
of the importance of winter storm safety.
Rain and winds are expected to impact the Bay Area, Monterey Bay
and North Coast on Tuesday, November
14. Showers and possible isolated thunderstorms will
continue to be experienced across Northern and Central California through Friday or as late
as Saturday of this week. In addition, dirt and dust can build up
on equipment throughout the year. The first of rains of the season,
or even heavy mist or fog, can turn this accumulated dirt and dust
to mud, which can conduct electricity and lead to outages and in
some cases, small pole fires.
PG&E's meteorology team has developed a Storm Outage
Prediction Model that incorporates real-time weather forecasts,
historical data and system knowledge to predict 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.
PG&E is urging its customers to take the necessary steps to
be prepared and stay safe throughout the winter.
Safety Tips
- Never touch downed wires: If you see a downed power
line, assume it is energized and extremely dangerous. Do not touch
or try to move it—and keep children and animals away. Report downed
power lines immediately by calling 911 and by calling PG&E at
1-800-743-5002.
- Use flashlights, not candles: During a power outage, use
battery-operated flashlights, and not candles, due to the risk of
fire. If you must use candles, please keep them away from drapes,
lampshades and small children. Do not leave candles
unattended.
- Have a backup phone: If you have a telephone system that
requires electricity to work, such as a cordless phone or answering
machine, plan to have a standard telephone or cellular phone ready
as a backup.
- Have fresh drinking water, ice: Freeze plastic
containers filled with water to make blocks of ice that can be
placed in your refrigerator/freezer during an outage to prevent
foods from spoiling. Blue Ice from your picnic cooler also works
well in the freezer.
- Use generators safely: Customers with standby electric
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 customers, as
well as crews working on power lines. If using portable generators,
be sure they are in a well-ventilated area.
- Turn off appliances: 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.
- Safely clean up: After the inclement weather has passed,
be sure to safely clean up. Never touch downed wires and always
call 811 or visit 811express.com at least two full business days
before digging to have all underground utilities safely
marked.
Other tips can be found at pge.com/beprepared
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company,
a subsidiary of PG&E
Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined
natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million
people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit www.pge.com/ and
http://www.pge.com/about/newsroom/.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company