PG&E could shut off power to thousands of SLO County customers during heat wave. Here’s where

Residents in the furthest reaches of San Luis Obispo County could be without power during the massive heat wave set to slam California this week.

According to the San Luis Obispo County Office of Emergency Services, PG&E has announced an elevated Public Safety Power Shutoff risk for some North County residents starting Friday.

The communities that could see power shutoffs were Oak Shores, part of Heritage Ranch and some areas north and east of San Miguel, such as Indian Valley, Hog Canyon and Ranchita Canyon, according to the Office of Emergency Services.

That would encompass approximately 2,300 PG&E customers in San Luis Obispo County, the office said.

The potential outage would start between 10:30 a.m. and noon on Friday and last through Saturday at 10 p.m., according to the office, though those times were subject to change depending on weather conditions.

In an effort to help prevent fires sparked by its equipment, PG&E will sometimes turn off electricity when there is “severe weather” — like high winds or low humidity — in areas where there is already a higher risk of wildfires.

The outages are generally planned in advance, and customers within impacted areas are notified via email, phone call or text, according to PG&E’s website.

Much of San Luis Obispo County was expected to be under an excessive heat warning from Wednesday through to early next week, with temperatures in some places reaching upwards of 110 degrees.

The announcement comes after PG&E initially said the county would likely not see any Public Safety Power Shutoffs during the recent heat wave.

“I don’t think that’s going to happen here,” PG&E spokesperson Suzanne Hosn said, noting that the company was keeping an eye on whether it might declare a PSPS in other areas of the state.

On Wednesday, Hosn said PG&E was “monitoring a weather pulse forecasted to enter this, the southern part of our service area, on Friday.”

“In response to that weather system, the Bay Area Weather Service has issued a Fire Weather Watch for this area,” she said. “No PSPS has been called yet, but if conditions warrant, we will be sending notifications to customers two days ahead of any planned shutoffs, per our regular process.”

How to prepare for an outage

The county Office of Emergency Services offered some advice for residents who may be impacted by potential public safety outages.

Residents were advised to:

• Review supplies that are available in case of a power outage. Have flashlights with extra batteries for every household member. Have enough nonperishable food and water.

• Use a thermometer in the refrigerator and freezer to know the temperature when the power is restored. Throw out food if the temperature is 40 degrees or higher.

• Keep mobile phones and other electric equipment charged and gas tanks full.

• Know how to manually open electric garage doors and gates.

• Talk to your medical provider about a power outage plan for medical devices powered by electricity and refrigerated medicines. Plan for batteries and other alternatives to meet your needs when the power goes out.

The office said if a PSPS does occur, PG&E will open a Community Resource Center, where affected community members can access basic resources, including charging stations, snacks and water.

PG&E will release information about the CRC location if it becomes necessary to open one, the county said in a news release.

PG&E customers can look up their addresses on the PG&E website to determine if their homes are within the areas being monitored for potential power shutoffs.