San Diego Gas & Electric crews were beginning Friday to inspect power lines and equipment in areas affected by public safety power shutoffs as weather conditions improved throughout the region.
SDG&E has been working to restore power to rural areas of San Diego County, as blustery Santa Ana winds continue. More than 16,000 customers were without power Thursday afternoon, with around 67,000 on notice that they might be subject to public safety power shutoffs.
"SDG&E appreciates how upsetting it is for our customers to be without power, and is working as quickly as possible to restore service where it is safe to do so," a statement from the utility company read.
Public safety power shutoffs began Monday, with SDG&E cutting power to 932 customers in Boulevard, Descanso, Warner Springs and the Campo Reservation. SDG&E has set up community resource centers offering public access to Wi-Fi, phone-charging and medical device support.
SDG&E said restoration times "can vary depending on weather conditions and wind speeds, the length of each power line, the terrain and whether aerial inspections are necessary."
"Typically, SDG&E crews require four to eight hours of daylight to thoroughly inspect power lines on foot and by air for potential safety hazards," company officials said.
According to SDG&E, possible hazards are downed wires, debris, tree branches, broken poles and hardware or communication wire issues.
"If any damage is found, SDG&E crews will promptly perform the necessary repairs before safely restoring power to affected communities," officials said. "Additionally, as SDG&E works to restore power to communities, some areas may remain dark while nearby lights are on, this happens because different parts of a neighborhood may be on separate circuits and not all can be restored simultaneously."
SDG&E has partnered with 211 San Diego and Orange County United Way to offer community resources during a power shutoff, which the company said are free and confidential.
The power company has also opened community resource centers that offer services such as Wi-Fi, along with phone- and medical device- charging. A list of active center locations and hours of operation are available at www.sdge.com/psps-dashboard.
Customers needing help may call 211 (or 858-300-1211 in San Diego County) and 888-600-4357 in Orange County on 24/7 basis, and speak with a live representative, according to SDG&E.
The San Diego County Office of Education announced that due to strong winds and power outages, schools in the Mountain Empire and Warner unified school districts would be closed Friday.
