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County Of Sonoma › Administrative Support & Fiscal Services › County Administrator's Office › Fact Sheet PGE Power Shutoff October 10 2019
County Administrator's Office

Fact Sheet: PG&E Power Shutoff, Red Flag Warning, Wind Advisory

Published: October 10, 2019

PG&E implemented the scheduled power shutoff across areas in Sonoma County. This is due to severe weather conditions that carry significant fire risk, specifically high winds and low humidity. Approximately 200,000 Sonoma County residents have been affected.

Weather

The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning for the North Bay Mountains and North Bay Interior Valleys, which includes all of Santa Rosa and a majority of Sonoma County, from 5:00 a.m. Wednesday, October 9 to 5:00 p.m. Thursday, October 10. A Wind Advisory has been issued for the upper elevations of Sonoma County (above 1,000 feet) from 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, October 9 to 3:00 p.m. Thursday, October 10. Starting Thursday, October 10, overnight temperatures are expected to drop to the upper 30s, as predicted by the National Weather Service. Since some residents may still be without power, they should follow cold weather safety tips, including: dress warmly and have several blankets on hand, stay indoors with doors and windows shut, keep pets indoors, and check on the safety of elderly and medically frail neighbors. Due to high fire danger, the use of fireplaces, fire pits or other outdoor heating devices is discouraged.

Power Shutoff

PG&E plans to begin restoring power on Thursday, October 10, in the afternoon. PG&E anticipates it could take up to five days to completely restore power once restoration begins. PG&E expects damage to their system which could cause restoration delays. Residents living in areas outside the outage footprint may also be without power if their infrastructure is impacted by the winds. All residents should prepare to lose power. Areas currently affected include parts of Santa Rosa, the Sonoma Valley, eastern parts of Petaluma,Cotati Rohnert Park, and unincorporated areas of the County.

Local Response Actions

In preparation of the power shut off, both the County of Sonoma and City of Santa Rosa opened a Joint Information Center (JIC) and have activated their Emergency Operations Centers (EOCs). The Cities of Cloverdale, Cotati, Petaluma, Rohnert Park and Sonoma have also activated their EOCs, along with Sonoma State University. The County and the City of Santa Rosa have both declared proclamations of local emergency and are advocating for a gubernatorial emergency proclamation, so that the agencies may be better prepared to quickly respond to the needs of the community in the event of a widespread shutdown. Petaluma, Rohnert Park, Sonoma and Windsor have also declared local emergencies. Although the City and County are taking action to respond to this event, we want our residents to know that the decision to shut down the power and the speed at which it is restored comes solely from PG&E. Outages could impact public safety systems, communications including emergency alerts, infrastructure, transportation, schools, food storage, and the private sector.

Health & Safety

All Sonoma County Hospitals remain open during the power shutoff. Sutter Santa Rosa Regional Hospital, including their Emergency Department, is currently open and serving in-patients and emergency department patients, with the capacity for life threatening emergencies. Those with non-life threatening needs are encouraged to visit Sutter's urgent care services in Santa Rosa ( view wait times). PG&E power shutoffs are currently impacting some of Sutter's care centers (doctor's offices) throughout Sonoma County. If you have questions about your care, please contact your provider's office directly. CalFresh replacement benefits are available to all recipients who have been without power for 48 hours or more due to the PG&E power shutoff. Recipients should call Sonoma County Human Services Department at 877-699-6868 to request replacement benefits. Food pantries throughout Sonoma County also provide free food to anyone in need. Call 2-1-1 for the location of the closest food pantry to you. Public water and sewer systems are supported by back-up generators and pumps and will not be affected by the power shutoff. Residents with private wells, private water pumps, and/or a private sewer grinder/booster pumps may be affected if they do not have a back-up power supply. For water service information during a power shutoff go to: https://socoemergency.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Water-Service-10-9_English.pdf. For health information go to the SoCoEmergency Health and Safety webpage. Find out what food you can safely keep and eat if your home loses power. When In doubt, throw it out.

Mental Health

Residents can Find Mental Health Support from several organizations offer free, bilingual, mental health services to help ease concerns:

County & City Offices and Services

The County Government Center is open during normal office hours. However, due to the power outage, some County offices located outside of Government Center (County Center Drive, Professional Drive, Administration Drive, Ventura Avenue, Fiscal Drive, and Paulin Drive) may be closed. Please contact the office you need and confirm that the services you are requesting are available before you arrive. City Hall Annex and Chamber buildings have power and will be open during normal office hours. Santa Rosa City Hall was affected by the power outage and will remain closed until power is restored with the exception of Room 3 and 6, which will provide limited services related to planning, building, and engineering. Permits cannot be issued and money cannot be exchanged. Please contact the office you need and confirm that the services you are requesting are available before you arrive. City of Santa Rosa public meetings have been canceled through Thursday, October 10. Some of the City of Santa Rosa’s critical facilities are located within the affected area, however they are and will remain on generator power until power is restored. These facilities include:

Fire Stations

  • Station 7- E Santa Rosa (Oakmont)
  • Station 6- Calistoga Rd
  • Station 5- Parker Hill Rd
  • Station 11- Lewis Rd

Water and Sewer Infrastructure

  • 9 of 21 Water Pump Stations
  • 12 of 25 Water Tanks.
  • 5 of 17 Sewer Lift Stations

School Closures

A number of schools throughout Sonoma County will be closed on Thursday October 10 due to the PG&E power shutoff. To see if your school is impacted, visit Sonoma County Office of Education’s website, or visit: scoe.org/schoolclosuresAll Santa Rosa Junior College campuses and sites will remain closed through Thursday, Oct. 10, 2019, due to the ongoing PG&E power outage. No activities or classes, including online. All Sonoma State University classes and activities remain canceled through Friday, October 11.

Community Resources

Residents are being updated about the power shutoff event via social media (Facebook, Twitter, NextDoor, and Instagram). For updates, including the latest news and emergency information visit:

Residents can also visit this GIS map to find more information specific to Sonoma County. PG&E has opened two Community Resource Centers in the County in the cities of Santa Rosa and Sonoma. The Community Resource Center in Santa Rosa is located at Veterans Memorial Building located at 1351 Maple Ave, Santa Rosa.

The Community Resource Center in Sonoma is located at the Hanna Boys Center, 17000 Arnold Drive, Sonoma. The Community Resource Centers will be open today Thursday, October 10, from 8 a.m. through daylight hours until power is restored. Restrooms, bottled water, electronic-device charging and air-conditioned seating for up to 100 will be available.

The City of Sonoma, in collaboration with the County of Sonoma, opened a Community Charging Center on Wednesday, October 9 for the community to plug in and recharge devices at the Sonoma Veteran’s Building located at 126 1st St West. On Thursday, October 10, this Community Charging Center will be open 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Information from the City of Sonoma can be found at https://www.sonomacity.org/emergency-updates/

The City of Petaluma opened Community Charging Centers at two locations on Thursday, October 10: The Petaluma Community Center, 320 N. McDowell – open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Petaluma Fairgrounds, 175 Fairgrounds Drive – open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Petaluma’s Senior Center is closed Thursday, October 10.

For questions about the power shutoff, contact Sonoma County 2-1-1. Do not call 911 unless it’s an emergency.