Power outages expected in Bay Area on Election Day

article

St. PG&E power lines in Helena.

Six Bay Area counties face possible power outages on Election Day and the following days. PG&E It was reported on Sunday.

PG&E said power outages were likely due to high winds and dry conditions predicted in those areas. Power outages are expected on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, Sonoma, SolanoAnd santaclara Districts.

Other counties in Northern California likely to be affected include:

PG&E said about 15,000 people in 17 counties and three tribal territories could be affected.

The Santa Clara County Registrar told KTVU they have backup generators to prevent loss of power but are reaching out to PG&E for more information.

Sonoma County said they are working with the emergency management department to monitor the situation. According to officials, none of the voting centers in their counties are expected to be affected by the closures.

The Santa Cruz County Registrar of Voters said they are coordinating with PG&E, which knows where polling places are located, and are in regular contact with them for status updates.

Officials said that there are emergency generators in many polling places, and that spares will be available in places where they are not available.

“We develop an emergency services plan every election, so we were already prepared in the event of a power outage,” a spokesman for the office said.

The Solano County recorder’s office said they are prepared and have multiple layers of contingency.

PG&E officials said they are “taking proactive measures to ensure the reliability of service to important election facilities.”

“Although PG&E has 7,000 Election Day polling places and 48 polling locations in its service area, only one polling location (Calpine Geothermal Visitors Center in Lake County) has been identified as potential PSPS coverage so far. This polling location is available at the earliest.” The impact date is 9:30 p.m. on Tuesday, November 5, after in-person voting ends, out of an abundance of caution at PG&E’s Calpine Geothermal Visitor Center. “We are currently working to ensure that backup generation is available under PSPS. We have deployed extra crews and emergency supplies throughout our service area to be prepared for any non-PSPS related power outages.” PG&E said in a statement to KTVU.

PG&E said these outages occurred when predicted extreme weather and other conditions at the site increased the risk of wildfire.

Those conditions include low humidity, high winds, dry material on the ground, vegetation near power lines, red flag warnings from the National Weather Service and real-time observations from weather experts and ground crews, PG&E said.

Residents can check details about their addresses and resources Here.