What You Can Do To Prepare For A PG&E Power Shutoff

Editor's Note: This guide was created before the COVID-19 pandemic. Please follow any public health orders and continue to practice social distancing when possible. PG&E has more guidance here.

Since 2018, Pacific Gas & Electric has turned to shutting off customers’ power when fire risk is high.

The utility says that it could be a decade before these shutoffs aren’t required to prevent its equipment from sparking fires during times of high wind, low humidity and other fire weather risks. So how can you prepare for when an outage hits your area? Here are some resources we've found, and if there's something else you'd like to know about, ask us here.

How can I find out if I’ll be impacted?

PG&E regularly posts information on their website here about planned shutoffs and what areas could be impacted. You can also look up your address to see if your home is in the potentially affected area.

During the massive outage in October 2019, PG&E’s website shut down and was on and off for days due to the number of people trying to access information about the outages. If that happens again, a number of media outlets, including CapRadio, have been providing the information on their sites.

If you’re a PG&E customer, you should also sign up for alerts and make sure your contact information is up to date with the utility so that you will get alerts about planned shut offs.  If your landlord or property manager is the holder of your PG&E account, you can sign up for alerts based on your zip code here.

How can I prepare?

PG&E says that customers should get ready for an outage lasting more than 48 hours when shutoffs are announced. But what does that mean?

PG&E recommends that customers put together a supply bag with things that they would need to get through a potential shutoff. Some items the company recommends you keep in a supply bag are:

• One gallon of water per person per day to make it through the outage (So for a family of four planning for PG&E’s recommended 48 hours without power, that would mean 8 gallons.)
• Nonperishable, easy-to-prepare food
• Flashlights
• Extra batteries of various sizes for flashlights and other devices
• A portable cell phone charger
• A stocked first aid kit
• Extra cash

If you know the power is getting shut off at a certain time, make sure your cell phone and other devices are charged up beforehand.

If you’re thinking about buying a generator to power some appliances and devices during the outage, Wirecutter has a list of recommendations for portable generators. However, generator use has raised some red flags about air pollution in California in past outages. 

Some portable generators are powered by diesel, gasoline, propane or natural gas, and use of them in private homes as well as in airports, hospitals and other facilities during outages can lead to an increase in emissions concerns.

Think about what devices throughout your home may not work once the power goes out, like garage doors and electronic key pads. Learn how to operate them without electricity before the power shuts off.

What should I do when an outage happens?

When the power shuts off, there are a couple of things to keep in mind. First off, once the outage starts, make sure to unplug all of your electronics and appliances. The power turning back on can come with a surge of electricity that could damage things like a television or a computer.

It can also be helpful to leave one lamp or light plugged in and switched on during the outage to let you know when the power comes back on.

Stay away from candles during the outage and stick with flashlights, battery-powered lanterns and the like. Candles can pose a large fire risk, and PG&E recommends avoiding them during outages.

It’s also important to be careful with the use of generators, camp stoves and charcoal grills. Make sure to use them outside to avoid breathing fumes from gas or smoke in an enclosed space, and don’t use your gas stove to try to heat up your home.

What if I have a medical device that relies on electricity?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a great answer to this question besides buying a generator. PG&E tweeted in September recommending that people who rely on electricity to care for their medical needs to If plan in advance for how they will handle a power outage.

For people with diabetes who need insulin, this means finding a way to keep it cool. For people who rely on home oxygen or dialysis machines, it can be a bit trickier without a generator. 

PG&E generally opens resource centers during shutoffs throughout the impacted areas where customers can charge electronic devices, including medical devices. You can find lists of resource centers during an outage here.

PG&E also encourages customers who need certain medical devices to apply for their Medical Baseline Program to get discounted billing and extra notice about shut offs. You can find a full list of what medical devices qualify customers for the program here.

Will my plumbing work?

The short answer is, it depends. 

If your home relies on water from a well, you will likely not be able to get water in your sinks, showers, toilets, or other plumbing during an outage. Mr. Rooter Plumbing recommends that people who use well water start preparing when they know a power outage is coming up. Fill up your bathtub and any other containers with water that can be used to flush the toilet, and stock up on bottled water for drinking.

For people who rely on city water, a power outage will likely not impact your plumbing, according to Mr. Rooter. City water is often stored in water towers in higher elevation locations, so gravity and water pressure will keep water flowing in your home. However, if you live in a multi-story apartment building, your plumbing will likely shut off as soon as the power does.

A few appliances, like pump-reliant toilets and tankless water heaters, will not work when the power goes out. Sump pumps, which prevent basements from flooding by pumping out rain water, will also stop working during an outage, so be careful to keep an eye out when the power goes out during a rainstorm.

Will my cell phone and internet connection work?

Whether or not your cell phone works during an outage depends entirely on your provider and your location. We tried to get information from providers such as AT&T and T-Mobile during the Oct. 9, 2019 outage about what areas they were not able to provide coverage to during the outage, but could not get that information.

You can call your cell phone provider before an outage and see if they have information about whether or not you will have coverage.

As far as internet, you will likely not be able to use your home wifi during an outage, as wifi routers require electricity to run.

Will I be able to get around?

One big impact on travel is that traffic signals may not work during the blackout. All signals throughout Butte, Colusa, El Dorado, Glenn, Nevada, Placer, Sacramento, Sierra, Sutter, Yolo and Yuba counties contain power backups that will keep the signals running for 3 to 4 hours.

Once those backups run out, drivers should treat dark traffic signals like all-way stops.

Drivers may also run into signals with a flashing red light. That’s because some lights are equipped with a transition signal, the flashing light, for when the signal transfers from regular power to its battery backup, according to CalTrans.

Gas stations throughout the shutoff areas may also lose power, which could impact drivers’ ability to fuel their cars as well. Once you hear about a potential outage, it’s a good idea to fill up your tank and pick up fuel for your generator just in case.

Can I get reimbursed for the food that goes bad in my fridge during the outage?

As of Oct. 8, 2019, PG&E would not reimburse customers impacted by fire weather-related power shutoffs for food lost or costs incurred by the outage. The utility has not announced any plans to change that as of Oct. 23.

However, Gov. Gavin Newsom urged the utility to change this policy after the massive shutoffs in early October 2019. He pushed PG&E to reimburse affected residential customers with a bill credit or rebate of $100 and $250 for small businesses.

PG&E customers who receive CalFresh benefits may be able to be paid back for food that spoiled during the outages by asking county officials to reissue their benefits. 

Will I be able to use my debit, credit or public assistance benefits cards at stores during the outage?

The answer is probably not. During a power outage, ATMs will go down and businesses will not be able to run card readers unless they are running a generator.

If you’re visiting a store that still has power, you should be able to use your debit or credit cards or your public assistance benefits card as normal without an issue, but PG&E has been shutting off power to businesses and residents alike in these outages. It’s a good idea to have cash on hand just in case. 

For people who use CalFresh benefits, you will likely not be able to use the benefits at grocery stores when they don’t have power. Some stores may take down your CalFresh information on paper and enter it into the electronic system when the power is back on, but that’s not required, according to the California Department of Social Services.

Have more questions about how to prepare for an outage? Send them to us below!

CapRadio’s Randol White and Chris Nichols contributed to this report.