As the full scope of this evening’s weather conditions has come into focus, the National Weather Service Office in Eureka has issued a Red Flag Warning and Pacific Gas & Electric has increased the number of Mendocino County homes that could possibly lose power.
With the elevated fire risk, Pacific Gas & Electric has increased the scope of Mendocino County residents who could lose their power this evening as compared to the analysis of their outage map conducted this morning.
This morning, the outages were specific to the areas of Laytonville, residents along Branscomb Road, residents along Spy Rock Road, a small section of homes in Brooktrails northwest of Willits, and a series of homes along Briceland Road along the Mendocino/Humboldt County line.
Since then, the Public Safety Power Shutoff’s scope has increased to residences in and around Covelo, Redwood Valley, and Potter Valley as well as homes along Highway 101 on the Willits Grade. In the South County, a line of residences on Highway 128 going through Yorkville is forecasted to lose their power, and a cluster of residences near the Mendocino/Sonoma County line east of Highway 101.
PG&E has established a charging center in Covelo in light of the potential power outages located at Keith’s Market IGA at 76201 Covelo Road. There will also be a charging center for affected residents in Laytonville at Harwood Hall located at 44400 Willits Ave.
The National Weather Service provided an analysis on their Facebook page as to the weather conditions converging that bring enhanced fire risk to the North Coast:
A large trough digging to our east is expected to bring gusty north to northeast winds across the area this afternoon through Wednesday evening. These winds will be accompanied by a drying trend, with poor RH recoveries expected both Tuesday and Wednesday nights along the upper slopes and ridges. Some areas will also see low afternoon RH today. Thursday will continue to see low RH, but winds will start to diminish. Friday and into the weekend slightly cooler temperatures are expected.
The following is a list of tips/tricks/wisdom to keep in mind when navigating a Public Safety Power Shutoff:
How to Prepare for the Public Safety Power Shutoff
- The following infographic from PG&E details suggested supplies residents should gather to prepare for the PSPS:
- The Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office reminds residents, “Remember that gas pumps and ATMs don’t work without electricity. Best to fill up and try to keep your tank at least half full in case of a #PSPS2020Mendo.”
- This website from FDA.gov provides practical strategies to keep the temperature of your refrigerator and freezer as low as possible during extended power outages.
- This website from FoodSafety.gov provides a detailed list of food that can be saved and food that must be thrown out after any sort of extended power outage.
Generators 101
- As residents prepare for the Public Safety Power Shutoff, many will be purchasing or operating a backup power system for their residence or business. We would like to provide some guidance in purchasing and safely utilizing this equipment.
- To purchase a generator that meets your wattage needs, use this generator calculator to assess your electricity needs and buy the appropriate model.
- This Wikihow article provides an overview of the set-up, use, and safety precautions of using an electric generator.
How to Monitor the Public Safety Power Shutoff
- This tool allows residents to look up if their specific address will be affected by the Public Safety Power Shutoff.
- Click here to monitor PG&E’s 7 Day Public Safety Power Shutoff Potential and a map of the affected Geographic Zones.
- Residents interested in monitoring scanner traffic during the high-wind event, use the following links to access the scanner specific to each Emerald County:
