PG&E is planning to shut off power to hundreds of thousands of people in California in what is believed to be the largest such pre-emptive blackout ever
By Katherine Blunt, Jim Carlton and Erin Ailworth Updated Oct. 8, 2019 6:06 pm ET PG&E Corp. PCG -5.22% is planning to shut off power to hundreds of thousands of people in California starting Wednesday as it seeks to prevent its electric lines from sparking more deadly wildfires, in what is believed to be the largest such pre-emptive blackout ever.
Sonoma County officials said they were bracing for nearly half of the area’s half-million residents to potentially lose power, darkening large parts of Santa Rosa, Petaluma and other major cities in the area north of San Francisco. “It’s absolutely unprecedented,” said Maggie Fleming, a Sonoma County spokeswoman, adding, “We are encouraging people to keep their cellphones charged, have gas in their cars, cash in hand and nonperishable food.
Cutting power during high winds creates hardships for homeowners, businesses and people who depend on electricity for medical devices. However, keeping it on potentially exposes PG&E to greater liability costs should one of its lines spark a blaze. The utility’s first power shut-off last October demonstrated the chaos that can ensue when the lights go off for days. Emergency officials in several small Northern California communities, were challenged to check on residents who required extra help and a range of businesses lost customers and inventory.
Among those facing closure is the Howard Pharmacy in Willits, Calif., where employees on Tuesday hurried to fill as many prescriptions that had been scheduled for pickup later in the week before the business possibly closes on Wednesday. Manager Carrie Winter said her pharmacy lacks a backup generator to stay open, so will have no other choice but to close for the duration of an outage.
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