San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Shutoffs likely as high winds reach Bay Area
Warm, dry, windy — and very dangerous — weather was moving into the Bay Area and expected to peak overnight Sunday, with power shutoffs likely and firefighters on high alert.
A red flag warning signaling high fire danger is in effect from Sunday morning to Tuesday morning in the North Bay mountains and East Bay hills, where wind gusts of up to 70 mph were expected, the National Weather Service said. Another red flag warning will be in effect for much of the rest of the Bay Area, included
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coastal areas and the Santa Cruz Mountains, from Sunday night to Monday morning.
Pacific Gas and Electric Co. reduced the scope of its expected shutoffs, especially in the North Bay and Alameda County, by about 17%, but still said around 386,000 customers across 38 California counties could lose power starting Sunday as it seeks to prevent any winddamaged equipment from sparking fires.
The largest impacts in the Bay Area were expected to be in Oakland, where more than 10,800 homes and businesses could be affected; Orinda, with 7,642; Moraga, with 5,461; Fairfax, with 3,419; Lafayette, with 3,284; Mill Valley, with 2,324; Calistoga, with 2,277; and San Anselmo, with 1,502.
Eleven Oakland schools could be impacted by the power cuts, the Oakland Unified School District said Saturday. And numerous parks in the East Bay hills will be closed on Sunday and Monday because of high fire danger.
The dangerous combination of offshore windst, dry fuels, low humidity, and recordbreaking temperatures begins Sunday morning, said PG& E chief meteorologist Scott Strenfel. Dry winds are expected to start in Shasta and push down to the west side of Sacramento. Shortly after sunset Sunday, winds should move into the northern and central Sierra Nevada, foothills, and North Bay mountains, then the East Bay and Santa Cruz near midnight.
On Mount St. Helena, winds could gust to 80 mph, or even reach more than 100 mph as they did last year, Strenfel said. Winds are expected to taper off Monday morning but could pick up that night.
“Any ignition that happens with these type of conditions can lead to rapidly spreading and catastrophic wildfire growth,” Strenfel said.
A wind advisory for the entire Bay Area takes effect at 4 p. m. on Sunday and is slated to expire at 11 a. m. on Monday.
Power shutoffs could start at 10 a. m. Sunday in some areas and into the evening in others, with a majority between 3 to 6 p. m. Once extreme weather passes in each region, crews patrol lines for damage, make any necessary repairs, and restore power. The goal is to restore most customers within 12 daylight hours after severe weather has passed.
PG& E opened community resource centers around the Bay Area, offering snacks, water and devicecharging stations to affected customers. Those centers are at Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo, the Marin City Health and Wellness Center, the Moraga Valley Presbyterian Church in Moraga, Merritt College in Oakland, and UC Berkeley.
Some residents were on edge.
“It’s very, very stressful,” said Carin Bildt, who has lived in the Mount Tamalpais foothills for 46 years, as she shopped for candles and portable radios at Goodman Building Supply in Marin County.
She’s never had to worry about a red flag warning and a shutoff at the same time. “It’s just too much,” she said. The shelves at Goodman were well stocked with flashlights, batteries and radios, and plenty of generators were still available at the front of the store Saturday afternoon.
Ethan Eyler was looking for lanterns. His son’s 8th birthday is on Sunday, and Eyler said the boy was disappointed to learn their house might not have power. Eyler said he’ll be well prepared if he loses power at his Tam Valley home; he stocked up at the start of the fire season.
“It’ll be an excuse to use all the stuff we already bought,” he said.
In Oakland on Saturday morning, nobody was stocking up yet at the Village Market on Broadway Terrace.
“So far, it’s pretty normal,” said Mariela Loker, the grocery manager, noting that Saturdays are always busy.
She said business might pick up later in the day. If the power goes out, the store is prepared — unlike last year, when power was lost for three days.
“The owner bought a generator and we tested it last night,” she said. “Everything worked.”
The last time the store lost power, she said, “It was crazy. We had to take everything from the cold cases and put them in a refrigerated truck.” Ann Goslee of Oakland was in the produce aisle, doing her regular shopping. She said she and her husband can get by without power as long as the water and natural gas keep flowing, which they’re supposed to. She planned to cook toast over the gas burners.
“We’re not stressed,” she said. “I’m more worried about fire since we lost our home in 1991.”
The couple rebuilt their home on Golden Gate Avenue after the Oakland hills fire. She said she was concerned by the prospect of high winds.
“I’m always worried when it’s October and it’s hottsr than hell,” she said.
But she and her husband plan to stay put unless authorities tell them to evacuate.
The East Bay Regional Park District said Thursday that parks expected to be closed Sunday and Monday are: Anthony Chabot, Claremont Canyon, Huckleberry, Lake Chabot, Leona Canyon, Redwood, Roberts, Sibley, Tilden, Wildcat Canyon and Kennedy Grove.
Steve Rubenstein, Michael Cabanatuan and Michael Williams are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: srubenstein@ sfchronicle. com, mcabanatuan@ sfchronicle. com, michael. williams@ sfchronicle. com