Editor’s note: We are providing free access to this article. Please consider supporting local journalism like this by purchasing a subscription through the link at the top of this page.
The PG&E Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) started on early Wednesday morning, with the areas of Redwood Valley, Potter Valley, Hopland, portions of the unincorporated areas of the Ukiah Valley, and 62 PG&E service points in the Willits area. The current estimate of the return to power is Thursday afternoon.
The PSPS power outage has affected hundreds of thousands of people across Northern California and over 30 counties and is in response to dry, windy weather that raises the possibility of wildfires. The National Weather Service has declared a red flag warning throughout most of the interior of Northern California Wednesday through Thursday due to strong winds and low humidity. Northeast winds gusting from 20 to 30 mph with gusts to 40 mph are expected across ridge locations above 1500 feet over interior Mendocino County. Fires that start are expected to spread quickly, and outdoor burning is not recommended.
The unaffected areas include the city of Ukiah, the city of Fort Bragg, the city of Point Arena, and the entire unincorporated Mendocino County coastal communities. Approximately 88 percent of people in those areas are without power. The city of Ukiah said their electrical system had not been affected and that customers within the Ukiah city limits have power and all other utility services. Approximately 6,000 people are affected in Mendocino County, with medical baseline customers impacted at 214. The PSPS shutoff consists of three separate de-energization phases, with Phase One starting on Wednesday at midnight. Phase Two began at noon on Wednesday, while Phase Three begins on Thursday at midnight. Anyone who wants a PSPS map of the estimated Mendocino County affected areas can find it at http://bit.ly/MendoPSPS
The Mendocino County Office of Emergency Services (OES) said that outages in Potter Valley are not related to the PSPS shutoff, and they are attempting to restore power. OES has opened a Call Center (707-467-6428) for those seeking public information about the PSPS outage in Mendocino County.
Most schools, the including Ukiah Unified School District, were open on Wednesday, according to the Mendocino Office of Education. The only public schools closed on Wednesday were Talmage Preschool at MCOE River Campus, and Leggett Valley Schools will be closed. Whale Gulch is open.
A PG&E Community Resource Center (CRC) is open on 1775 North State Street in Ukiah, and is expected to be open at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, October 9.
Links to more information about the power outages can be found at-
PSPS Service Impact Map –
https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/psps-service-impact-map.page
PG&E Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/pacificgasandelectric/
PG&E Twitter – https://twitter.com/PGE4Me
PG&E – 1-800-743-5009
PSPS Information and Local Resources – https://www.mendocinocounty.org/community/public-safety-power-shutoff
Mendocino County Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/mendocinocounty
Mendocino County Twitter – @countymendocino
Mendocino County Instagram – @countyofmendocino
Mendocino County Sheriff Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/MendocinoSheriff
City of Ukiah PSPS Outage Line – 463-6288
City of Ukiah Electrical Outage Line – 463-6228
