During the coming months, there is an increasing likelihood of potential power shutoffs. These are known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS). These shutoffs of power occur when an electric utility temporarily turns off power for a period of time to reduce the risk of a wildfire caused by utility equipment. Fire weather conditions, such as strong winds, dry vegetation, and low humidity, drive PSPS events, which may last for an extended period in certain instances.
Notification
Customer notifications typically begin 1-2 days before an anticipated power shutoff. Additional notifications are sent:
- 1-4 hours before the anticipated shutoff
- When the shutoff begins
- Just before power is restored, and
- When power has been restored.
January 2025 Santa Ana Wind Events
This past January, we experienced severe Santa Ana winds, low humidity, high vegetation growth from previous wet winters, and dry conditions, creating a high risk for wildfires in Southern California. Southern California Edison (SCE) and other utilities implemented public safety power shutoffs in response to these conditions.
In the case of SCE, the power shutoffs resulted in extended outages throughout their service territory, impacting upwards of 500,000 customer accounts. This situation resulted in many frustrations and inconveniences for customers, businesses, and local governments within the Inland Empire and Assembly District 50.
To improve communication and reduce the likelihood that individuals will not receive advance notice of PSPS events, I introduced Assembly Bill 1410. Timely notification allows customers to prepare for potential outages and make necessary arrangements based on the information provided.
Assembly Bill 1410 – Utilities: Service Outages and Updates: Alerts
AB 1410 addresses these issues by requiring all customers to be automatically enrolled in outage alerts. Utilities may not be able to provide these alerts if customers’ contact information is not current or provided by the customer. Additionally, as the use of wireless emergency alerts has grown for many public safety messages (such as earthquakes, fires, Amber Alerts, etc.), and residents receive a growing number of alerts from both solicited and unsolicited entities, customers may have a strong reaction to receiving alerts from utilities (or may consider them spam).
I believe that customers being automatically opted-in to receiving updates from their utility companies is a common-sense practice and should be the standard. Unfortunately, too many utilities are operating from a reverse approach, where customers have the responsibility to opt themselves in to receive updates. AB 1410 ensures that everyone can prepare for future shutoffs by automatically opting customers in and regularly updating their preferred contact method
AB 1410 requires the utilities to provide customers the opportunity to opt out and to ensure customers have the opportunity to update their preferred mode of communication annually. AB 1410 passed the Legislature and was transmitted to the Governor.
Preparing for a PSPS Event
Sign up for alerts from SCE. Alerts are available for anyone. Sign up for PSPS events in English or other available languages on the SCE website.
Before a potential PSPS event, SCE will send notifications via email, text, or phone message. This will help to keep you informed during the outage and when power is restored. During unexpected weather conditions, advance notifications may not be possible.
Make sure you have an emergency plan to keep you safe during an outage. That should include a list of where you store emergency items such as water bottles, battery-operated radios, flashlights, and working batteries.
Bookmark the SCE outage map, check outage status, or download the MySCE mobile app.
If you or someone in your household relies on electricity for health reasons, use the Access and Functional Needs Checklist to prepare and stay safe during a PSPS event.
Customer Support Programs
SCE Community Resource Centers and Community Crew Vehicles are dispatched or located within those affected communities to provide customer service during PSPS events. These centers and vehicles are listed on the SCE Outage Map during the outage.
For prolonged outages, hotel discounts can be found on the SCE website.
Rebates for Generators and Batteries
SCE will provide a free backup battery to help power medical devices during outages to customers living in high fire risk areas and enrolled in their medical baseline allowance program.
Stay Safe During a Power Outage
Unplug appliances and electronics to avoid damage or data loss. If you have electric gates or garage doors, be prepared to operate them manually.
Gasoline-powered generators should never be used indoors. Generators and batteries should not be connected directly to household circuits without the appropriate safety equipment. Doing so is dangerous to you and repair crews.
