Atmospheric Rivers Again Threaten SCE’s Service Area
Atmospheric Rivers Again Threaten SCE’s Service Area
Monday’s sunshine in much of Southern California Edison’s service area brought welcome — but temporary — relief from what has seemingly been a nonstop series of storms during the first three months of this year.
“A second weak-to-moderate atmospheric river storm will affect California from late Monday through early Wednesday, leading to flooding concerns and high-elevation snow with increased avalanche risk,” said SCE meteorologist Jacqueline Bennett. “Gusty winds ranging from 25-55 mph are expected primarily in the mountains and high deserts.”
In foothill communities throughout the Southland, SCE crews are preparing to respond to potential power outages caused by downed trees, a consistent challenge for the past several weeks.
“There are a lot of trees coming down, and if the wind and rain are as strong as forecast, we will probably see more of that,” said Eric Jones, field supervisor for SCE’s Monrovia district. “Right now, we are operating normally, but we will be ready.”
As ENERGIZED documented last week, a tree that fell into power lines in South Pasadena required the temporary evacuation of 19 homes while SCE Air Operations crews and contractors replaced two power poles to restore service to the neighborhood.
“Currently, there is appropriate staffing in SCE’s service area to address any weather-related work assignments,” said Secundino Sandoval, SCE incident commander for the storm response. As a result, the company was able to respond to a mutual assistance request from Pacific Gas and Electric for help managing storm impacts in Northern California.
On Thursday, SCE deployed 10 crews as well as leadership and support staff totaling 68 people to PG&E’s service area. They arrived in Visalia, then deployed to Santa Cruz over the weekend and returned safely to SCE's service area Monday.
“The electric industry has a robust mutual assistance framework at the local, state and national levels. When an electric utility believes the damage to its infrastructure may outpace its ability to restore service in a timely manner, it can request assistance from other electric utilities from a neighboring city or state,” said Thomas Jacobus, SCE principal manager of Business Resiliency. “The requesting utility bears costs related to requests for assistance.”
SCE Weather Services continues to monitor two additional storms that could reach the company’s service area next week.
SCE encourages customers to prepare for potential outages by taking the following measures:
- If you see a downed power line, do not touch it or anything in contact with it. Call 911 immediately.
- Never try to remove a broken tree limb or branch that has come in contact with a power line.
- Freeze water and transfer it to your refrigerator if the power goes out to keep perishables cold.
- Install surge protectors to help safeguard valuable electronic equipment, such as computers and home entertainment systems.
- If you have an automatic garage door or gate, learn to open it manually (without power).
- Make a safety preparedness plan for your family that includes a list and location of emergency items such as water bottles, flashlights, first-aid kits, extra blankets, etc.
- Be prepared to meet the unique needs of infants and elderly or disabled family members. Also, plan how you will care for any pets.
Customers may report outages at 1-800-611-1911 or online at sce.com/outage-center.