SCE Crews Ready for Santa Ana Winds

UPDATED, Nov. 13, 6:30 a.m.

Due to dangerous high winds in high-risk fire areas under red flag warnings, SCE shut off power to roughly 50 customers in the Moorpark area at about 10:50 a.m. Monday and to roughly 35 customers in the Chatsworth area at 12 a.m. Tuesday.

With continued predicted severe weather conditions and high winds, about 50,000 Southern California Edison customers in portions of the following communities have been notified of a potential Public Safety Power Shutoff:

Acton, Agoura Hills, Agua Dulce, Aguanga, Altadena, Anza, Banning, Beaumont, Box Canyon, Cabazon, Camarillo, Canoga Park, Canyon Country, Castaic, Chatsworth, El Toro, Etiwanda, Fillmore, Fontana, Glendora, Hemet. Idyllwild, Irvine, La Verne, Lake Forest, Lytle Creek, Malibu, Maywood, Mission Viejo, Moorpark, Mountain Center, Newhall, Ojai, Orange, Oxnard, Pasadena, Phelan, Piru, Porter Ranch, Rancho Cucamonga, Rancho Santa Margarita, Rialto, Robinson Ranch, San Bernardino, San Dimas, San Fernando, San Jacinto, Santa Clarita, Santa Paula, Santa Susana, Saugus, Silverado, Simi Vallley, Stevenson Ranch, Somis, Sylmar, Temecula, Trabuco Canyon, Valencia, West Hills, Westlake and Winchester.

Customers whose contact information is on file with SCE will receive alerts by phone, text or email of any power shutoffs. They should make sure their contact information is correct by going to their account at sce.com under “Profile” or by calling 800-655-4555.

We will only turn off the power under the most extreme weather conditions as a preemptive measure to reduce the risk of a power line being involved in starting a fire. We appreciate our customers’ patience and understanding as we safely work to restore power in impacted communities. SCE's first priority is to protect public safety and the integrity of the system serving customers."
SCE incident commander Steve Powell

During anticipated Red Flag conditions, when circuits in the affected area detect a disturbance (relay) and become de-energized, the circuit will not automatically be re-energized. This means an outage remains until it is safe to manually re-energize the circuit. This is not a Public Safety Power Shutoff; it is simply a safety feature to help mitigate wildfire risk. This may increase the likelihood of weather-related outages during Red Flag fire conditions.

SCE has dispatched crews and equipment throughout the region to respond to strong Santa Ana winds that might affect the power system.

The company is currently monitoring several fires impacting customers within its service territory, including the Woolsey Fire in Ventura and Los Angeles counties and the Hill Fire in Ventura County. The cause of these fires is currently under investigation.

SCE is reminding customers that are being allowed re-entry to fire areas they may not have electric service, and restoration of service may not be known at this time. Customers should refer to sce.com “Outage Center” for updated electric restoration.

SCE and emergency responders also are reminding the public and customers that hazardous conditions do exist in fire areas, and they should stay away from all utility infrastructure (poles, wires, and ground level structures). SCE personnel have been granted access in some fire areas and will be clearing any electric infrastructure creating hazardous conditions.

About 74,000 customers in high fire risk areas were notified last week of possible power shutoffs in the event extreme winds created a threat to public safety. SCE shut off power to eight customers on Little Tujunga Canyon Road in the Santa Clarita and Sylmar areas at 7:52 p.m. Thursday due to dangerous high winds in red flag fire areas. Power was shut off to an additional 12 nonresidential customers near Irvine Regional Park in Orange County at 11: 24 p.m. Thursday, and nine customers on Devil’s Canyon Road in San Bernardino County at 12:19 a.m. Friday.

To see the latest information about outages, go to sce.com/outages or visit twitter.com/sce and facebook.com/sce. Customers can also report or inquire about outages at 800-611-1911.

Power Outage Safety Tips

If you see a downed power line, do not touch it or anything in contact with it. Call 911 immediately.
Power outages in the area may impact traffic signals so motorists should use extreme caution and treat all intersections as four-way-stops.
Remember to check emergency supplies to be sure you have a battery-operated radio, a flashlight and fresh batteries.
Use flashlights instead of candles to avoid fire hazards in your home or business.
If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle and landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away.
If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews. Please consult the manufacturer’s manual for operating the generator.