California

Power Restored in Napa, Sonoma Counties After PG&E Shutoff

Some PG&E customers in Napa and Sonoma counties had their power turned off early Wednesday morning as part of the utility's second Public Safety Power Shutoff.

Sonoma County officials said power was fully restored in the county as of 4 p.m. Wednesday. And PG&E said power was restored to all those affected in the North Bay as of 5:30 p.m. Wednesday.

The shutoff due to hot, dry conditions that includes a fire risk affected about 48,200 customers in seven Northern California counties.

In Napa County, 708 customers in Calistoga, Lake Berryessa and Napa had their power turned off, according to PG&E. In Sonoma County, 701 customers in unincorprated areas of Santa Rosa were impacted by the shutoff.

PG&E initiated its first Public Safety Power Shutoff of the season at 5 p.m. Monday, impacting about 24,000 customers in the Sierra foothills. Essentially all of those customers had their power back by 6 p.m. Tuesday, the utility said.

During that first power shutoff, PG&E said crews identified four incidents of weather-related equipment damage. 

Such inspections take place during daylight hours and, in most cases, PG&E said it expects to restore power within 24 to 48 hours after the dry and windy weather has passed. But if those conditions persist or if any repairs are needed, outages could last longer than 48 hours, the utility said.

For planning purposes, PG&E suggested customers prepare for multiple-day outages. The utility is opening community resource centers in each of the areas affected by an outage. Customers impacted in Napa and Sonoma counties can go to the Calistoga-Napa Fairgrounds, 1435 N. Oak St. in Calistoga.

Here's the breakdown by county of Wednesday's PG&E shutoff:

  • Butte County (22,836 customers in Bangor, Berry Creek, Brush Creek, Butte Meadows, Chico, Feather Falls, Forbestown, Forest Ranch, Magalia, Oroville, Palermo, Paradise, Stirling City, Yankee Hill)
  • Napa County (708 customers in Calistoga, Lake Berryessa and Napa)
  • Nevada County (16,506 customers in Cedar Ridge, Chicago Park, Grass Valley, Nevada City, Penn Valley, Rough and Ready)
  • Placer County (2,633 customers in Auburn, Foresthill)
  • Plumas County (four customers in Storrie)
  • Sonoma County (701 customers in Santa Rosa)
  • Yuba County (4,833 customers in Browns Valley, Brownsville, Camptonville, Challenge, Dobbins, Loma Rica, Marysville, Oregon House, Rackerby, Smartville)
For more information and the latest updates on the power shutoff, go to PG&E's website.
Bay City News contributed to this report.
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