The City of Sonoma is preparing to respond to the impacts of a possible power shutoff conducted by PG&E. The agency informed City and County officials that Sonoma County is under a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) “Watch,” and current weather conditions may lead to a de-energization event beginning Wednesday, November 20th.
PG&E estimates that 40,000 customers in Sonoma County could lose power. While the impact to customers within the City of Sonoma is expected to be minimal, areas anticipated to be affected by the potential shutdown include parts of Sonoma Valley. PG&E has advised that the most accurate tool to find out if a particular address will be impacted by the potential power shutoff is their “Potential PSPS Address Lookup Tool” on their website. The Address Lookup Tool is more accurate than the maps, which have a large ‘buffer’ added to the impact area.
PG&E may open a local Charging Center depending on the final scope of the Shutoff. If PG&E does perform a PSPS, the de-energization sequence is expected to begin around 4:00 AM on Wednesday, November 20th.
Community Partner Updates:
- KSVY 91.3 is not expected to lose power and will be broadcasting as usual as well as reporting on outage areas and available resources.
- Vintage House Senior Center is not expected to lose power and will continue regular operations.
- Sonoma Valley Unified School District (SVUSD) reports that the following sites/schools may be affected: Altimira; District Office; Flowery and; Dunbar. SVUSD is monitoring the situation and will provide more information as it becomes available.
- The Boys & Girls Club of Sonoma Valley (BGCSV) Maxwell Park Clubhouse location not expected to lose power. If the following schools are impacted, Altimira, Flowery, Dunbar and Sonoma Charter, BGCSV will not be providing programming at those locations. They will, however, open the Maxwell Park Clubhouse from 8:00 AM – 6:00 PM to accommodate affected students. Families will need to sign up their child(ren) to become members if the child is not currently a BGCSV member. Contact (707) 938-8544 for more information.
- The Sonoma Community Center does not expect to be impacted by the Power Shutoff and will be open regular hours. Community members are welcome to charge devices in public areas where a receptacle is available.
- The Sonoma Valley Community Health Center is not expected to lose power and will continue regular services.
- Sonoma Valley Hospital is not expected to lose power and will remain open for emergency care, inpatient and outpatient services.
- Pets Lifeline is not expected to lose power and will continue regular services.
- Sonoma State Historic Park anticipates keeping the Mission, Barracks and Vallejo Home open for business, as usual, and don’t expect to lose power. If the power is shut off at the Petaluma Adobe, most of the structure will remain open.
- The Sonoma Valley Visitors Bureau‘s two visitor centers in the Sonoma Plaza and at Cornerstone Sonoma are not expected to lose power and will be open regular hours.
-
Sonoma Ecology Center – Sonoma Garden Park will not be affected, but Sugarloaf Ridge State Park and Sonoma Developmental Center Campus will potentially be affected and will be running on backup power.
The City wants to remind residents that the potential power shutoff coincides with a Red Flag Warning issued by the US National Weather Service beginning Wednesday, November 20th at 4:00 AM to Thursday, November 21st at 7:00 AM. During these times extreme caution is urged by all residents because a simple spark can cause a major wildfire. Learn more about Red Flag Warnings from CAL FIRE.
PG&E will provide updates to customers and the City when information is available. Customers can update their contact information to receive notifications sent by PG&E online (https://m.pge.com/#login) or by phone, in English at 1-866-743-6589 and in Spanish at 1-866-743-6589. Residents can also check if their home is in an area where power may be shut off on PG&E’s website.
To find more information about preparing for power outages visit www.sonomacity.org/extended-power-outages