As strong Santa Ana winds made their way into the Southland, Southern California Edison shut off power to some customers in areas with a high risk for wildfires. This effort is part of the utility’s Public Safety Power Shutoff mitigation efforts.
As high winds, low humidity and dry vegetation create an elevated risk for wildfires, SCE conducts these proactive power shutoffs to help keep communities safe by reducing the chance of an ignition coming from the electric system.
Once weather conditions improve and crews have patrolled the affected circuits and deemed them safe, power will be restored. For updates and the latest information on PSPS, customers can visit: sce.com/PSPS.
Over the weekend, SCE began notifying impacted customers, government officials and emergency agencies of the PSPS event. The utility also noted that weather conditions can change, which may affect the timing and duration of the power shutoff. Some outages may also be unrelated to a PSPS event.
Customers can be notified of a PSPS event by email, phone or text alert. They can also update their SCE contact information and sign up for potential PSPS alerts at sce.com/psps or by calling 800-655-4555.
Customers may report or inquire about outages at 800-611-1911. For information on outages, customers can check sce.com/outages or visit twitter.com/sce and facebook.com/sce.
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.
