Photo by: BJ Hansen
Sonora, CA — Heavy rain is going to be prevalent, off and on, through the Christmas holiday period.
PG&E crews have been getting ready for the possibility of power outages during the atmospheric river storm system. Company spokesperson Jeff Smith comments, “It is always inconvenient to experience a power outage, and that is only augmented when it is over the Christmas holiday. Should customers experience an outage, we will be working to get them restored as quickly as we can.”
Some tips include keeping cell phones and other devices fully charged at all times, and to consider freezing empty plastic soda bottles in case they need to be moved to the refrigerator to keep perishables cold during an outage.
Smith says the company is also taking proactive measures.
Adding “We use a lot of AI now. The way we use artificial intelligence really helps us in advance of the storm by putting weather models and things like that into the AI system, and we are able to get some idea of what areas may experience the greatest degree of outages. Typically, they are areas with higher levels of vegetation, and we can make sure that we have crews pre-stationed in those areas.”
More information about the incoming weather system can be found here.
Other safety tips include making sure not to touch downed power lines, and to unplug electrical appliances if an outage occurs to avoid circuit overload when power returns.
Written by BJ Hansen.
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For power outage preparation tips and detailed information view our Power Outage Page here. During heat or snow, overburdened electric cables, transformers, and other electrical equipment can fail. Be safe, never touch a downed power-line or electrical equipment.