Editor’s note: Due to the outages internet speeds are very slow, though we’re not sure the specific reason why. As a result we are drastically limiting the number of photos and videos in this post. We will put photos on Facebook instead.
UPDATE 10/29/19, 3:00 p.m. — Here is our latest:
UPDATE 10:00 p.m. — Another county-wide power shut-off is expected to begin at tomorrow and last until mid-day on Wednesday, October 30, the County of Mendocino announced at 7 p.m. this evening (see below). The county has stated that the “footprint” of this upcoming power shut-off will be the same as the previous one, meaning all PG&E customers in Mendocino County. Once PG&E declares the “all clear” for the upcoming power shut-off “event,” the company will begin to inspect and repair their equipment prior to re-energizing the lines, which could be up to 48 hours or more, depending on the extent of the damaged equipment. The company has stated they have already found significant damages to their equipment while inspecting after the winds of the last several days.
A total of 29 counties, and up to 605,000 customers, will be part of this next power shut-off across California, which in Mendocino County is all of the utility company’s customers. Here’s is a map provided by Mendocino county of the planned power shut-off footprint. The current timeline means that PG&E customers in Mendocino County are likely to remain without power until sometime between Wednesday, October 30 at the very earliest, until November 1 or even later, depending on the extent of the repairs, daylight hours, and workers in the field.
Previously, PG&E stated that some customers in Mendocino might have their power temporarily restored at some point today, prior to the upcoming shut-off, and customers were urged to charge when they could. However, as of 10 p.m. on Monday evening, while we have heard reports of PG&E’s visual inspections occurring, we have heard of no reports of any customer in Mendocino County having power restored. If you have any information otherwise, let us know in the comments. For most of Mendocino County, although this is referred to as two planned power shut-off “events,” PG&E customers can expect to be continuously without power since Saturday evening through Wednesday or even Friday.
As of 5 p.m Monday, according to a press release, PG&E had restored power to more than 325,000 California customers. However, at that time the company also had yet to inspect “32,000 miles of the electric system before fully restoring power—longer than the circumference of the Earth.”
Information about customer charging stations in Ukiah, Potter Valley, and Fort Bragg is included in the article below. County offices will be open regular business hours, and charging and bathrooms are also available at the Willits Community Center and the Ukiah Valley Conference Center during regular business hours. The County has put together an power shut-off information page, and if you scroll down to “Additional Resources,” you can find lists of businesses, gas stations, grocery stores, and more that are expected to remain open.
The Mendocino College and Ukiah Unified Schools remain closed during the power shut-offs; check with Mendocino County of Education for individual districts.
The Mendocino Voice will also updating on our Twitter, and Facebook page with videos, photos, and places to share information about what is open. Keep in mind that many locations may not be able to take credit or debit cards, or may not be receiving their usual deliveries, and be prepared for long lines.
Here’s the full press release from Mendocino County, our previous updates can be found below:
Update on PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff for the October 26 and 29 Events
Post Date:10/28/2019 7:00 PM
The County of Mendocino is currently monitoring the scope of two Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events in Mendocino County. These events are very dynamic, and the County is dependent on PG&E to provide accurate, updated information that can be shared with the public.
On October 28, 2019 at 6:00 AM, PG&E announced that the areas within the scope of the PSPS event for Mendocino County are “all clear” of the weather event and PG&E staff began line inspections for re-energization. Due to significant damage to two major PG&E transmission lines, that feed Mendocino County, restoration has not been achieved and tomorrow the County will be moving into a new PSPS event. Outages will continue tomorrow as part of the October 29 PSPS event. The PG&E PSPS footprint for October 29 may be the same as the October 26 event resulting in continued power outages county-wide. The weather event is estimated to conclude at 8:00 am on Wednesday, October 30, after which lines will be inspected for safety and then re-energized. Customers may be briefly re-energized between now and 10:00 pm, however it is likely the power will go out again the morning of October 29. The County will release any updated information on the power outages and re-energization timelines as they become available.
For more information, please contact the Executive Office at 707-234-6030. For updated County information on the public safety power shut off, please visit www.mendocinocounty.org/psps or follow the County on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mendocinocounty and twitter https://twitter.com/countymendocino.
UPDATE 5:30 p.m. — PG&E has released new information concerning the upcoming power shut-off beginning on Tuesday morning, and will be holding a press conference at 5:30 p.m, viewable on their Twitter. The Willits city manager confirmed that PG&E has informed Willits city officials that this upcoming power shut-off will have the same footprint and the last one, and the city will remain in the dark if power is not (temporarily) restored this evening — which is likely true for many portions of Mendocino County that are still without power. The company has been sending notifications to customers who are expected to be shut-off (still, or again) starting tomorrow.
PG&E has stated that inspections have uncovered significant damage on their equipment due to wind across Northern California and in Mendocino specifically, delaying plans for re-energizing this afternoon. However, PG&E has begun to restore power to other parts of California as of this morning.
The shut-off beginning Tuesday morning, October 29, is expected to last at least 24 hours, and then inspecting and re-energzing the lines may take up to 48 hours. The full PG&E press release from 5 p.m. today can be read below, and our article from this mornings below that.
Safety Inspections, Restoration Work Underway for All Counties Impacted by Oct. 26 Historic Wind Event
Power Restored to 325,000 Customers of 970,000 Impacted by Safety Shutoff
For Wind Event Starting Tuesday, Oct. 29, PG&E Moving Forward with Public Safety Power Shutoff for 605,000 Customers
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif.—Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) continues to restore customers impacted by the Oct. 26 Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), as it works to prepare for an additional shutoff planned to begin Tuesday, Oct. 29.
Updates on Oct. 26 PSPS:
As of 4:30 p.m. today, more than 325,000 customers had been restored.
Crews have been inspecting de-energized lines and repairing wind-related damage since receiving the all-clear Monday morning.
PG&E so far has more than 20 preliminary reports of damage on its system during the extreme wind.
PG&E needs to inspect more than 32,000 miles of the electric system before fully restoring power—longer than the circumference of the Earth. Restoration will occur in stages depending on inspections and any repairs of wind damage to the electric system.
More than 6,300 on-the-ground field personnel are available, as well as 46 helicopters. Helicopter inspections may be impacted by firefighting efforts in some areas.
To assist in the restoration process, PG&E has requested mutual aid of 1,000 workers from other energy companies.
A total of approximately 970,000 customers in portions of the following 37 counties were impacted by shutoffs during this historic weather event: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Fresno, Glenn, Humboldt, Lake, Madera, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Monterey, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Benito, San Joaquin, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
In addition, approximately 100,000 customers lost power due to wind-related outages on the system in areas that were not de-energized. Of those customers, about 65,000 had been restored as of 4 p.m. today.
Updates on PSPS Scheduled for Tuesday, Oct. 29
As a precautionary measure to reduce wildfire risk during the next severe and widespread wind event in the forecast for Tuesday, Oct. 29 and Wednesday, Oct. 30, PG&E confirmed Monday that it will implement a PSPS in portions of 29 counties, affecting electric service for up to 605,000 customers.
Portions of the following counties are currently expected to be impacted: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Siskiyou, Solano, Sonoma, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo and Yuba.
The severe wind event is expected to start Tuesday morning in the North Valley, North Bay and Sierra Foothills; Tuesday afternoon in the southern Sierra Foothills; Tuesday evening in Kern County; and very early Wednesday in the Bay Area. The weather should clear in all areas by mid-day Wednesday.
Important Advisory
It is possible that customers impacted by the Oct. 26 PSPS could be part of the Oct. 29 shutoff. It’s also possible that power restoration for some customers impacted by the Oct. 26 shutoff will not be complete before the next safety shutoff must begin.
PG&E will continue working to reduce the scope of this next event. For customers who are restored between events, PG&E urges them to use the time to charge any medical equipment, phones and other electronic devices and restock emergency kits.
Customer Notifications
PG&E has notified customers who could potentially be affected by the next PSPS event via text, email and automated phone calls.
Customers enrolled in the company’s Medical Baseline program who do not verify that they have received these important safety communications will be individually visited by a PG&E employee when possible. A primary focus will be given to those customers who rely on electricity for critical life-sustaining equipment.
Community Resource Centers
PG&E has opened Community Resource Centers in several locations. These centers will be open during daylight hours, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., until power has been restored. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 will be available at each of these facilities. Locations of these centers are listed at www.pge.com/pspsupdates.
10/28/19 — Pacific Gas & Electric sounded the “all clear” this morning at 6 a.m., meaning that the worst of the big winds had past and it was then safe to begin the work of inspecting power lines, making repairs, and then re-energizing. The restoration of power will move roughly from north to south and could take up to 48 hours, though large parts of Humboldt County have had power restored.
PG&E also plans to preform yet another preventative power shut-off, beginning tomorrow, Tuesday, around midday. They claim that the affected areas will be smaller this time, but have so far been notoriously inaccurate about the scope and time of their planned power shut-offs. It is entirely possible that substantial parts of Mendocino County will have to remain in the dark through the end of this new planned outage, which the company calls a “public safety power shut-off” (PSPS).
This next next “wind event” is supposed to last from the afternoon of Tuesday Oct. 29, through the morning of Wednesday Oct. 30, with power restoration occurring up to 48 hours after that on Nov. 1. At the very least we may be looking at a spookier than normal Halloween.
Supervisor John McCowen made a statement on Facebook today saying that re-energization is proceeding very slowly and that the grid suffered substantial damage. (Read his statement below)
Willits City Hall will be open from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. with places to charge phones and water. PG&E also has a resource center set up on North State Street in Ukiah, along the east side of the road, just north of the northern on ramp to the 101. We’ve also set up a Facebook thread where people are self reporting which businesses are open. Among others, the Adventist Health hospitals in Ukiah and Willits are open, including the Roots Restaurant at Howard Memorial. Costco, Home Depot, Friedmans, and Walmart, as well as a Cultivo, Black Oak Cafe, Slamdunk Pizza and many other locations have some kind of operations. Check this thread for more:
Here is the statement from Supervisor McCowen:
10/28/19 1:30pm update
There is no estimated time for restoration from the 10/26 PSPS event. Despite the 6:00am today all clear, re-energization is proceeding very slowly, moving from north to south.
The system sustained ‘substantial damage’ and affected circuit segments need to be identified, isolated and repaired. PG&E says they have 47 helicopters and 6,345 personnel working on re-energization, including 3,600 transmission and distribution line workers and 2,700 vegetation management workers.
The 10/29 PSPS (tomorrow!) is expected to start a bit later than originally forecast and to be less extensive than originally expected. However, these changes are causing a delay in pushing out info since they are reassessing the areas that will be shut down.
As of 1:15pm today they are unable to say who is in and who is out.
The Community Resort Centers are all expected to be operational. The N. State St. CRC has numerous charging stations and was being heavily used when I was there this morning. Water and snacks were also available but no battery packs, flashlights or other resources that ran out yesterday. On site personnel were expecting resupply but had no
Obviously, this is much bigger than Mendocino County with close to a million customers impacted, including approx. 6,000 critical facilities and 40,000 medical baseline customers. Also, 55 Tribes are impacted.
As usual, PG&E is struggling to provide accurate and timely information. The current estimate for re-energization from the 10/26 event is ‘within 48 hours” from the 6:00am today (10/28) weather all clear. Got that? We will be reenergized no later than 6:00am 10/30. Meanwhile they expect a new PSPS shutdown to start on 10/29 but as of now can’t say when it will start or who will be included.John McCowen from Facebook
I spoke with Senator McGuire this morning and we are in agreement that the PSPS program needs to be reevaluated. This will be a multi-faceted discussion but the public is not well served by the present system and what appears to be the systemic ineptitude of the PG&E braintrust.
Bottom line, PG&E is unable to say who is in and who is out so everyone who was included in this current PSPS event should plan to be in the 10/29 PSPS event.
Will provide further updates as soon as I have anything new to report
Here is the press release from the County of Mendocino:
Ukiah, California: October 28, 2019
Update on PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff Restoration for October 26 Event and Upcoming October 29 Event
The County of Mendocino is currently monitoring the scope of two Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) events in Mendocino County. These events are very dynamic, and the County is dependent on PG&E to provide accurate, updated information that can be shared with the public.
October 26 Event On October 28, 2019 at 6:00 AM, PG&E announced that the areas within the scope of the PSPS event for Mendocino County are “all clear” of the weather event and PG&E staff has started line inspections for re-energization.
PG&E is working to have power restored in portions of Mendocino County. PG&E is working on finalizing restoration timelines specific to Mendocino County. Restoration will only occur during daytime hours and may take 48 hours or more after the “all clear.”
October 29 Event PG&E is planning to initiate a PSPS event in portions of Mendocino County tomorrow, Tuesday, October, 29, 2019. PG&E does not have a confirmed listed of affected communities, but have stated the footprint will be slightly smaller than the October 26 event. As the County receives additional information and maps from PG&E we will release updates to the public. The weather event is estimated to conclude the morning of Wednesday, October 30.
Important Information From PG&E About Restoration
• Restoring power
o Before restoring power, PG&E must inspect its equipment for damage and make any necessary repairs. That process cannot begin until the severe weather event has subsided. o Given the prolonged period during which the wind event will unfold, and the large number of power line miles that will need to be inspected before restoration, customers are being asked to prepare for an extended outage. o PG&E will work with state and local agencies to provide updated restoration
timelines following the conclusion of the severe weather event.
• Inspection and Restoration
501 Low Gap Rd, Rm 1010 Office: 707-463-4441 Ukiah CA 95482-3734 Fax: 707-463-5649
o It’s important for all customers to have an emergency plan to be prepared for any
extended outages due to extreme weather or natural disasters. o Each situation will be somewhat different, just like each day’s weather. o After the extreme weather has passed and it is safe to do so, our crews will work to visually inspect each mile of our power lines to ensure they are free from damage and safe to energize. o Inspections will take place during daylight hours and, in most cases, we would expect to be able to restore power within 24 to 48 hours after extreme weather has passed. o However, depending on weather conditions or if any repairs are needed, outages
(weather event plus restoration time) could last longer than 48 hours. o For planning purposes, we suggest customers prepare for multiple-day outages. o Steps to restoration include:
▪ Weather All Clear – After the extreme weather has passed and it’s safe to do so, our crews can go into the field to begin patrols and inspections.
▪ Patrol and Inspect
• Our crews will work to visually inspect our power lines to look for potential weather-related damage to the lines, poles and towers. This is done by vehicle, foot and air.
• Visual inspections are necessary since circuit breakers, reclosing devices and fuses that are typically used to help detect any potential damage from a weather event like a winter storm are also de-energized during a Public Safety Power Shutoff for safety reasons.
▪ There are many challenges we face during inspections:
• Some locations require workers to travel on narrow access roads. In locations with no vehicle access, crews might need to hike in remote and mountainous areas to inspect equipment.
• At night, we can’t fly helicopters for visual inspections.
▪ Isolate and Repair Damaged Equipment
• Where equipment damage is found, crews will work to isolate the damaged area from the rest of the system so other parts of the system can be restored.
• Where equipment damage is found, crews work safely and as quickly as possible to make repairs.
▪ Restoration
• Once the poles, towers and lines are deemed safe to energize, a call is made to the PG&E Control Center to complete the energization process.
• Power is then restored to customers.
▪ Customer Notification
• Customers are notified that power has been restored. For more information, please contact the Executive Office at 707-234-6030. For updated County information on the public safety power shut off, please visit www.mendocinocounty.org/psps or follow the County on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/mendocinocounty and twitter https://twitter.com/countymendocino.
From PG&E:
PG&E is Monitoring a Third Consecutive Severe Wind Event for Tuesday and Wednesday that Could Impact Nearly 32 Counties Across Northern and Central California
Northern Operative Predictive Services Issued High Risk of Significant Fires in Area Covering PG&E Service Area
PG&E’s Emergency Operations Center Continues to Be Open and Is Monitoring the Situation
Some Customers May Experience Continuous Outages
PG&E Community Resource Centers in Key Areas to Remain Open
SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. — Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) announced today that its meteorological and operations teams in its Emergency Operations Center continue to monitor a new, potentially widespread, strong and dry wind event forecasted for Tuesday morning through midday Wednesday for Northern California. The weather system is forecast to impact Kern County late Tuesday night through Thursday morning.
Potential Tuesday/Wednesday Public Safety Power Shutoff
The event will impact approximately 32 counties across the Northern and Southern Sierra, North Bay, Bay Area and Santa Cruz mountains, North Coast and Kern County. This weather event is a separate system from the one that triggered the October 26 Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) event that is still active. This is the third consecutive significant wind event in a week’s time.
In response to this anticipated event, Northern Operative Predictive Services has issued a high risk of significant fires for a geographical footprint that covers much of PG&E’s service area. The National Interagency Fire Center’s Geographic Area Coordination Center is also forecasting significant fire potential across Northern California beginning on Tuesday of this week.
Potential Impact
Due to the forecasted extreme weather conditions, PG&E is considering proactively turning off power for safety. Portions of counties that may be impacted include, but are not limited to: Alameda, Alpine, Amador, Butte, Calaveras, Colusa, Contra Costa, El Dorado, Glenn, Humboldt, Kern, Lake, Marin, Mariposa, Mendocino, Napa, Nevada, Placer, Plumas, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Santa Cruz, Shasta, Sierra, Solano, Sonoma, Stanislaus, Tehama, Trinity, Tuolumne, Yolo, Yuba.
It is important to know that while customers in portions of these counties may be impacted by PSPS, all customers need to be prepared for potential outages due to equipment damage, hazards and continuously evolving weather.
Potential PSPS Timing
The period of weather risk starts Tuesday and continues through Thursday morning. The dry, windy weather pattern is expected to reach from the northern portions of PG&E’s service territory and down through the Sacramento Valley, before spreading into the central areas of the state, including the Bay Area.
PG&E will make every effort to restore power to as many customers as possible who are currently out of power due to the Oct. 26 PSPS event. However, due to the dynamic and changing weather conditions, and high fire risk, some customers who are currently out of power may remain out throughout the duration of the next potential PSPS event.
For those customers able to have their power restored between events, PG&E urges them to use the opportunity to charge any medical equipment, phones and other electronic devices and restock emergency kits.
Some customers may continue to be impacted by the PSPS event, while others may experience power outages due to weather damage to the electric system.
PG&E will continue to monitor weather conditions and will be providing additional information regarding affected areas.
PG&E Community Resource Centers
PG&E will provide Community Resource Centers in key areas that may have continuing impacts due to the Oct. 26 PSPS event and the potential new event. To view the current list, click here.
We have received many phone calls from PG&E over the last 2-3 days, however when we answer the phone there is nothing and no one on the line- no voice, no recording, nothing. This is both by cell phone and by landline. (We are in Redwood Valley). Curious if other people are experiencing this. I appreciate the calls, but would really appreciate hearing the information even more, especially as my internet access has been very poor.
i got an idea..lets sue pg&e that way we can complain when they continue to fail in their duties after weve managed to completely destroy whats left of them..then we can sit in the dark until we can convince some sucker to purchase this disaster and we can sue him if he doesnt solve things fast enuff.. and then we can sue his mother for birthing him and mother nature for blowing down trees in the forest.. and me for leaving this comment and you for whatever opinion you have of it and then sue each others mothers and so on and so on and does anybody think the following..” hey..look at how much fossil fuel we could be saving if we had all installed solar with a battery back up!.. and if we did it ourselves it wouldnt cost $40,000.. and nobody would be complaining at all because we would all be comfey and happy living off sunshine”….i am at a loss to look at a neighboring apartment complex with a roof covered in solar panels and the only lights are the tiny indicator lights on each panel… how pathetically unnecessary is that?.. I have ranted so shall i be moving on..thanks for keeping us posted..
This is really upsetting to everybody in Mendocino County. Food has gone bad, it’s way too cold,can’t heat up the house for the children. People are going to luting. This government needs to get their ducks in a row. All of a sudden pg&e wants to shut power off.makes no Sense to me. I lived in Ukiah all my life and never have we experienced anything like this. PG&E needs to compensate everyone who has been off work because of this outage,our children missing out on their education,and extra money we have to spend for this interuption in our daily lives. PG&E should have fixed this problem before it got way out of hand..I am really sickened on how this has played out. Poor judgement.
since i can remember trees have sparked fires by falling onto power lines..but people blamed the wind until they got tired of waiting for the wind to show up for court..then they turned to the owner of the power lines and that combined with peoples excessive wreckless consumption habits destroying our forests and resources is why we are in the dark.
yes instead of hiring more workers to prevent this from happening again PG&E should compensate us all for the horrible way they did past business management..that way we can repeat this over and over and the repair money can go to lawyers and their clients..think of it as a little force fed conservation and buy a couple golf cart battery an inverter with a charge controller and a solar panel or two and shut off the generator and when you realize how much you can do with the electricity from just that simple setup you will wonder why you are still in a situation where this little outage even matters… and on that note ill shut up..but panels cost $1.50/watt a 1000watt inverter with charge controll about $250 and golf cart batteries about $300 so the price of a crappy generator and you have extra power to use even when pg&e is up.. Don’t attach it to your house and you are all gravy..add panels and batteries and a subscription to “homepower” or some such and get to know the glory of sunshine and science..i will stop ranting now i promise..