PG&E outages: Thousands without power across Sierra and foothills. More will be affected

Thousands remained without power throughout the central San Joaquin Valley foothills and Sierra Nevada on Monday, with more outages possible Tuesday.

There were at least 41,000 Pacific Gas and Electric Co. customers without power in its Yosemite division, which mainly covers Madera, Merced and Mariposa counties, due mostly to public safety power shutoffs, PG&E spokesman Denny Boyles said Monday afternoon.

Eastern Madera County residents were warned around 2 p.m. Monday to be prepared to possibly be without power for another 12 to 48 hours, the Madera County Sheriff’s Office reported on its Facebook page, because of another “possible significant wind event.”

Later in the afternoon, the sheriff’s office reported PG&E was “actively restoring” power throughout the Oakhurst area.

“If you do have your power restored, we encourage you to use the opportunity to charge any medical equipment, phones, and other electronic devices and restock emergency kits,” a post read.

A PG&E map showing potential public safety power shutoffs planned for Tuesday and Wednesday highlighted portions of the Sierra north of Mariposa, extending all the way to the Redding area, but not in Madera or Fresno counties.

A PG&E map showed areas affected Monday extended as far south as the Pine Flat Lake area in Fresno County.

A PG&E news release Monday evening stated those impacted by the power shutoffs that began Saturday “could be part of the Oct. 29 shutoff.”

“It’s also possible that power restoration for some customers impacted by the Oct. 26 shutoff will not be complete before the next safety shutoff must begin.”

PG&E did not provide a further estimate for when power will be restored in the region. Workers continued to inspect and repair power lines on Monday.

A number of area schools were closed Monday because of the outages.

High winds knocked down “many” trees in the area along Beasore Road above Oakhurst on Sunday, creating complications for restoring power. Drivers were warned not to try going around fallen trees and to call 559-675-7770 to report issues.

The Mariposa County Sheriff’s Office was directing residents to call 1-866-743-6589 to speak with PG&E about outages.

Several community resource centers were opened to aid residents, including the Madera County Sheriff’s substation at 48267 Liberty Drive in Oakhurst. The Madera County Sheriff’s Office can be contacted at 559-675-7770.

In total, 970,000 PG&E customers have been impacted by public safety power shutoffs, and 325,000 have been restored, PG&E announced Monday evening.

“PG&E needs to inspect more than 32,000 miles of the electric system before fully restoring power – longer than the circumference of the Earth,” the company said.

Other public safety concerns: The San Joaquin Valley Air Polution Control District warned that smoke from the Kincade Fire in Sonoma County and blowing dust will degrade air quality throughout the week in the Central Valley.

People with heart or lung disease should follow their doctors advice when dealing with episodes of particulate matter exposure. Young children and the elderly are especially susceptible to the conditions. Residents can use the district’s Real-time Air Advisory Network (RAAN) to track air quality in the Valley by visiting myRAAN.com.

This story was originally published October 28, 2019 at 8:09 AM.