Edison considering shut-offs today and Christmas Eve

Southern California Edison officials confirmed Tuesday they are monitoring possible power shut-offs for particular areas of the Santa Clarita Valley today and Thursday.

According to SoCal Edison spokesman Reggie Kumar, dangerous winds and dry conditions are forecast for today and Christmas Eve, adding to what has already been a parched season filled with monitoring and shut-offs.

“Those winds along with dry vegetation — that has been dried out by winds over the last several weeks — are combining to create

dangerous wildfire conditions in fireprone areas of SCE’s service territory,” said Kumar.

He added that SoCal Edison is aware that it is both a holiday and pandemic, but that SoCal Edison had to prioritize safety and ensuring that power is restored as quickly as possible.

The SoCal Edison website lists the areas that are being “monitored” for possible shut-offs, showing that large areas of Canyon Country and Agua Dulce, as well as some patches in Saugus and Valencia, will be affected.

In total, 193,410 customers are under consideration for a potential Public Safety Power Shut-off in the next 48 hours throughout all of L.A. County, depending on the weather, Kumar said.

The Los Angeles County Health Officer extended a cold weather alert due to the National Weather Service’s forecast for low temperatures in the SCV for today. Wind chill temperatures are expected to be below 32 degrees.

“Children, the elderly and people with disabilities or special medical needs are especially vulnerable during cold weather. Extra precaution should be taken to ensure they don’t get too cold when they are outside,” said Muntu Davis, the Los Angeles County health officer. “There are places where people can go to stay warm, such as shelters or other public facilities. We also want to remind people not to use stoves, barbecues or ovens to heat their homes due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.”