Power back on for entire Bay Area

PG&E says crews found 76 cases of weather-related damages

SAN FRANCISCO >> Pacific Gas and Electric Co. crews on Wednesday finished restoring service to customers affected by a public safety power shut-off that started Sunday, the utility said.

The shut-off was spurred in part by fierce Diablo winds, which could have helped spark new wildfires, and affected 345,000 customers in parts of 34 counties and 17 tribal communities.

The utility restored service to 97% of the customers by Tuesday night and the rest by Wednesday afternoon.

“We know these power shut- offs are a hardship for our customers, and we greatly appreciate their patience as we worked safely and quickly to restore service,” said PG& E interim President Michael Lewis in a statement.

“Amid historic weather conditions and the strongest winds of the wildfire season so far, we aimed to minimize the scope and length of the event,” Lewis added. “Our most important responsibility has been to keep customers and communities safe.”

Before restoring service, PG&E crews inspected 17,000 miles of distribution and transmission lines for weather-related damage or hazards. Those inspections began Monday afternoon in the least affected areas, but in other areas, crews didn’t receive the “all clear” to begin inspections until Tuesday afternoon, according to the utility.

PG&E said crews discovered at least 76 instances of weather-related damage to its equipment, down from 130 reported at a virtual news conference the prior evening.

More than 500,000 customers initially were warned they could lose power, but the shut-off eventually was narrowed to about 345,000 customers in dozens of counties across Northern California, including more than 60,000 in the ninecounty Bay Area.

On Sunday, winds peaked at 89 mph atop Mount Saint Helena, 72 mph on Mount Diablo and even 58 mph at sea level Oakland International Airport, according to the National Weather Service. Humidity also dropped into the teens.

But no new major wildfires broke out throughout the region.