Power Outages

If you are experiencing a medical emergency during a power outage, call 911. Do not call 911 to ask when the power will be restored in your area.

The following links can provide additional helpful information on current and potential power outages:

The Pacific Gas & Electric PG&E Current outage map

PG&E's Potential Outage Areas

For information on power outages in Southern California: Southern California Edison 

For information on power outages in the San Diego area: San Diego Gas & Electric

More information on power outage safety: American Red Cross

For information on how to keep food safe in a wildfire or power outage: U.S. Department of Agriculture or FoodSafety.gov

Extended power outages may impact the whole community and the economy. A power outage is when electricity service goes out unexpectedly, potentially for hours or days. A power outage may:

• Disrupt communications, water, and transportation.
• Prevent use of medical devices.
• Close retail businesses, grocery stores, gas stations, ATMs, banks, and other critical services.
• Cause food spoilage and water contamination.

Planned Power Outages   

With periods of extreme heat becoming more common in California, power companies may find it necessary to implement planned power outages to avoid overloading the state's electrical grid. Follow these guidelines to help ensure the safety of you and your family during a planned power outage:

Food Safety

• Keep the refrigerator and freezer doors closed as much as possible to maintain the cold temperature. Refrigerators generally will keep food cold for about 4 hours if it is unopened.
• A full freezer will keep the temperature for approximately 48 hours (24 hours if it is half-full) if the door remains closed.
• Once power is restored, perishable food such as meat, poultry, seafood, milk, and eggs that are not kept adequately refrigerated or frozen may cause illness if consumed, even when they are thoroughly cooked. When in Doubt, Throw it Out!
• Throw out these foods:
• Food with unusual odor, color, or texture
• Cans or food containers that are bulging, open, or dented
• Food not in waterproof containers or cans
• Food canned at home
• Food in cardboard containers (including juice, milk, and baby formula)
• Food in containers with screw caps, snap lids, crimped caps, twist caps, flip tops, and snap-tops
• Thawed frozen food that still have ice crystals may be refrozen. However, when in doubt, throw it out!
  

Your Home

• If your home has a security system, consult your owner's manual or contact the service you are subscribed to. You may need to disengage the system before or while your service is interrupted.

• If you typically use a garage door opener, make sure you have a house key to regain entry into your home, in case your service is still out when you return.

• Know how to manually operate your garage door. If power is lost, your garage door opener will not work.

Electronic Equipment

• Use surge suppressors to protect sensitive electronic equipment, such as computers. If possible, unplug all sensitive equipment before any planned outages.

•  If you forget to unplug your electronics before the outage, be sure to unplug the equipment prior to service being restored to avoid surge damage.

• If you must leave your home while the power is out, double-check that all heat producing appliances, such as stoves, irons and curling irons are unplugged.

• Make sure you have flashlights, a battery-powered radio and fresh batteries in an easily accessible area.