With temperatures dropping and rain arriving this weekend, many Bay Area communities are bracing for the first storm problems of the season.
As clouds roll in and rain heads towards the Bay Area, PG&E said it's prepping to make sure the lights stay on.
“We are preparing for it logistically. We are making sure we have the right number of crews in place,” said PG&E Tamar Sarkissian.
Part of those preparations includes technology to help pinpoint where to expect storm outages, allowing the utility to pre-stage crews to respond faster.
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Sarkissian told NBC Bay Area Friday that it’s hard to tell how many people will be impacted.
“There are the possibilities of outages and in some cases, we do experience a phenomenon, where one of the first rains of the season. You do sometimes see dirt and debris and pollution build up on the lines. So, in some cases, we will experience more outages than normal,” she said.
With some areas expecting more than a half an inch of rain, starting this weekend. The utility said it's relying on storm preps and its year-round efforts to manage vegetation to help protect powerlines and transformers.
But even with all the preps, some outages are expected and that's why the utility is asking customers to be prepared, not just this weekend, but all winter.
“Be prepared for the possibility of outages and probably to most important message is around downed powerlines. If you ever see a down powerline just assume it’s live,” Sarkissian said.
