Blackout Round 2? Hundreds of thousands Californians brace for a possible outage
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Hundreds of thousands of California residents braced for another possible power outage as the state’s two largest utilities warned that a return of dangerous fire weather could prompt shut-offs across the state.
The warning from Pacific Gas & Electric about a possible blackout Wednesday in Northern California prompted a feeling of resignation among residents and business owners and renewed rushes to stock up on emergency supplies.
“I think it’s not panic per se, just ‘Eh, we gotta do this AGAIN?’” said Kim Schefer, manager of Village True Value Hardware in Santa Rosa.
Schefer was busy Tuesday directing customers to gas cans and batteries as they prepared for what many see as a costly, frustrating new routine.
It would be the second blackout in two weeks for much of the state.
PG&E cut power to more than 2 million people across the San Francisco
Bay Area in rolling blackouts from Oct. 9-12, paralyzing parts of the region in what was the largest deliberate blackout in state history. Schools and universities canceled classes and many businesses were forced to close.
PG&E gave 24-hour notice Tuesday to 189,000 customers, or roughly a half-million people, that it could begin a new round of precautionary shut-offs in 16 counties mostly in the Sierra foothills and north of the San Francisco Bay Area. The decision will be made Wednesday morning and the blackouts would begin Wednesday evening and last about 48 hours, the utility said.
Meanwhile Southern California Edison said it could cut power later in the week to about 132,000 customers in six counties
The utilities say it’s concerned that winds forecast to top 60 mph (97 kph) could throw branches and debris into power lines or topple them, sparking wildfires.
At Murphy’s Irish Pub in Sonoma, co-owner Dermot Coll groaned at the thought of another power outage. The watering hole kept its doors open during the last 48-hour shut-off, but it wasn’t easy because generator power to the walk-in coolers kept failing.
“We made it work, but it was a headache,” Coll said. “We kept saying, ‘Is this even worth it?’”