Public safety power shutoffs could go into effect Tuesday, as San Diego Gas & Electric crews monitor gusty Santa Ana winds and low humidity throughout Southern California.
SDG&E reported that up to 64,866 customers could lose power this week in San Diego and Orange counties due to heightened wildfire risks, with the region experiencing the driest start to the rainy season in 174 years.
Several school districts announced they would be closed due to high winds and the potential power outages.
School closures
Julian Union Elementary School District
Julian Union High School District
Mountain Empire Unified School District
Ramona Unified School District
Spencer Valley School District
Warner Unified School District
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Like many of her neighbors in Ramona, Macaire Fritchey is doing the best that she can to prepare for a power shutoff.
"(We) just got lots of dry-good food," she said. "So nothing that needs to be cooked and not, you know, refrigerated and things like that."
The National Weather Service has issued a red flag warning for parts of both counties, including San Diego County's mountains and valleys, from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday night.
“One thing that's important with this event is it's not just one event and done," SDG&E meteorologist and fire science director Brian D'Agostino said. "What we're seeing is a long duration potential impact across our region and we really want folks to start preparing for that.”
SDG&E's Emergency Operations Center was monitoring conditions, particularly wind speeds, and will open community resource centers if power shutoffs occur, a statement from the utility read.
Last month, during a strong Santa Ana wind event, Fritchey's power was out for two days.
"We had to throw out tons of food," she said.
This time, she is more prepared. Her neighbor gave her a generator that he fixed up.
"So we are fortunate to have that, but we aren’t 100% sure how it's going to work out," she said. "And haven't really used the generator before because I'm newer to the area."
Outage preparedness tips can be found at sdge.com/outage-center; safety guidelines for generator use can be found at sdge.com/generator.
The utility advised that personal emergency plans should be used to keep family, pets and livestock safe. Officials also urged the public to report downed power lines by calling 911 or SDG&E's call center at 800-411-7343.
“We are using the best science we possibly can to try to minimize the impact," D'Agostino said. "Because we do understand this is a huge impact on our community.”
Additional information about unplanned power outages can be found online.
