PG&E Provides Customer Resources Before,
During and After PSPS Outages
OAKLAND,
Calif., Sept. 26, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- September
is National Preparedness Month, and it coincides with the middle of
California's peak wildfire season,
which begins in the summer and extends through late fall. This year
is no exception. Due to a historically hot summer, with
June-August 2024 setting a 130-year
temperature record for California,
and continued hot and dry conditions in September, there will be an
increased risk for severe wildfire until wet weather returns.
PG&E operates a robust, year-round, multi-layered wildfire
mitigation program to prevent catastrophic wildfires, including
additional enhancements to address this year's increased wildfire
conditions. In addition to PG&E's aggressive wildfire
mitigation work, Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) may be
necessary this fall to protect the safety of PG&E customers and
hometowns.
When it comes to being prepared, PSPS has historically been most
prevalent in the fall months. When windy conditions are combined
with high levels of dry vegetation and low humidity levels, trees,
branches and debris have the potential to make contact with
energized electrical equipment. When high wind speeds are
forecasted in areas of high wildfire risk, PG&E may need to
turn off power proactively for safety. This is known as a PSPS.
PG&E is sharing tips to help ensure customers are prepared
at home, work, or on the road for a wildfire or other natural
disaster.
PG&E's Safety Action Center (safetyactioncenter.pge.com)
provides customers with preparedness resources and includes
information about how customers can keep their families, homes and
businesses safe during wildfire season and in the event a PSPS is
necessary.
"PG&E will not take any chances with customer safety," said
Mark Quinlan, Senior Vice President
of Wildfire, Emergency & Operations. "We have conducted
extensive work to mitigate wildfire risk and address this year's
increased number of wildfires in California. As a measure of last resort, PSPS
events may be necessary to keep our customers safe."
California's 2024 wildfire
season has been much more severe than 2023. As of Sept. 25, CAL FIRE
reports 6,378 wildfires and 995,974 acres burned this year compared
to 5,180 fires and 255,697 acres burned at this time last
year.
Providing Customer Resources Before, During and After PSPS
Outages
PG&E is doing more to help customers and communities before,
during and after PSPS outages.
"We know that losing power disrupts lives, especially for those
who rely on power for medical devices or medications. That is why
we are listening to our customers and finding ways to reduce the
impact of PSPS outages, without compromising safety," said
Vincent Davis, Senior Vice President
of Customer Experience.
To reduce the impact of PSPS outages, we are:
- Partnering with community-based organizations (CBOs) to provide
portable batteries and hotel stays to a variety of populations,
including low-income, older adults, individuals with disabilities
or those who rely on power for certain medical needs.
- Providing thousands of batteries (approximately 4,715 provided
in 2023), covering all interested income-qualified Medical Baseline
customers in high fire-threat areas.
- Opening Community Resource Center (CRC) locations and improving
resources available during PSPS events
- Offering an option for non-account holders to receive a direct
notification in advance of and during a PSPS for any addresses of
interest.
- Sharing emergency information in 16 languages and partnering
with CBOs to conduct multilingual outreach.
- Encouraging customers to self-certify as Vulnerable for
additional notifications.
Customer Notifications
To make sure customers have the information they need to plan
for a PSPS, we send notifications by automated calls, texts and
emails. These notifications let customers know when power will be
turned off and back on. Our goal, whenever the forecast will allow,
is to send customers notifications one to two days ahead, one day
ahead, just before shutting off power, once power is turned off and
daily until power is restored.
To serve those who are Deaf or hard of hearing, we also
pre-record general notification messaging in American Sign
Language. We also provide additional outreach for those who rely on
power the most. If a Medical Baseline or Self-Identified Vulnerable
customer does not respond to PSPS notifications, we'll notify them
in person of the potential upcoming outage.
Address Alerts
To help the community stay safe and informed about PSPS outages,
we've created Address Alerts. PG&E sends automatic PSPS
notifications for a customer's home or business that is registered
under their account. Address Alerts additionally notify anyone
about a potential PSPS at any address that's important to them or a
loved one.
Address Alerts are a useful tool for those who want to know
about a PSPS at their home, work, school or other important
location. These Address Alerts also benefit tenants who do not have
a PG&E account, those who need to stay informed about a PSPS
affecting a friend or loved one and multi-member households.
Anyone can sign up by visiting pge.com/addressalerts.
Community Resource Centers
During a PSPS, we open CRCs where community members can
access a safe location to meet their basic power needs, such as
charging medical equipment and electronic devices. Water,
snacks, blankets, ADA-accessible restrooms and other essential
items to reduce hardships for our customers are available.
Batteries
We have resources available to help our customers prepare for
power outages and stay safe, including:
- The Generator and Battery Rebate Program for financial
assistance in the purchase of a qualifying generator or
battery.
- The Portable Battery Program, which provides backup batteries
for qualified customers who rely on medical devices.
PG&E has Additional Support for Those with Medical and
Independent Living Needs
To assist customers with medical and independent living needs
before, during and after a PSPS, we partner with community-based
organizations (CBOs). Our efforts include:
- Partnering with the California Foundation for Independent
Living Centers (CFILC) to offer support through the Disability
Disaster Access and Resources Program (DDAR) Program.
- Expanding the availability of materials in American Sign
Language (ASL) and providing customers the option to call
1-800-743-5000 to receive communications in Braille, large print
and audio.
- Providing emergency information in 16 languages.
- Collaborating with organizations to provide ADA-accessible
transportation to and from Community Resource Centers (CRCs).
- Partnering with Meals on Wheels and local food banks to help
customers access food during a PSPS.
- Offering hotel rooms and hotel discounts to customers
experiencing a PSPS.
- Establishing both a Regional and State level advisory group to
help create solutions for emergency preparedness and resilience for
customers with medical needs.
- County-specific information and support is available
at pge.com/ddar.
PG&E's Medical Baseline Program is an assistance program for
residential customers who depend on power for certain medical
needs. The program includes an additional monthly allotment of
energy or a discount, depending on the customer's rate, and
additional PSPS notifications.
Customers who rely on our service for certain medical needs but
are not eligible for the Medical Baseline Program can self-certify
for Vulnerable Customer Status. Support may include: extra
notifications before a PSPS, doorbell rings or a doorhanger if the
customer does not respond to previous PSPS notifications, a notice
or visit before or at the time-of-service disconnection due to
nonpayment.
Learn more about these resources at pge.com/pspsresources
Disability Disaster Access and Resources
PG&E partners with the California Foundation for Independent
Living Centers (CFILC) through the Disability Disaster Access and
Resources (DDAR) program to provide support to older adults, people
with disabilities and chronic medical conditions who require
electricity to live independently. This support is available
before, during and after a PSPS and other wildfire safety power
outages and emergencies. The DDAR Program may assist with signing
up for the Medical Baseline Program. obtaining ADA-accessible car
rides and hotel stays during a PSPS and receiving food replacement
during a PSPS.
For program application instructions, customers can visit
disabilitydisasteraccess.org or learn more at pge.com/ddar.
211
PG&E partners with the California 211 Providers Network to support,
prepare and keep our customers safe. 211 is a free and confidential
service that helps people find local resources, like lodging, ADA-
accessible transportation, utility assistance and more. Customers
can reach out to get help preparing for a potential power outage,
or any other kind of emergency.
This resource is available 24/7 in more than 150 languages.
While 211 provides proactive outreach to all PG&E customers, it
serves as the first point of contact for those with Access and
Functional Needs (AFN) before, during and after a PSPS.
To learn more, customers can dial 211, text 'Prepare' to 211-211
or visit 211.org to find their local 211.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a
subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE:PCG), is a combined
natural gas and electric utility serving more than 16 million
people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and Central California. For more information,
visit pge.com and pge.com/news.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/national-preparedness-month-as-wildfire-season-peaks-pge-continues-mitigation-and-safety-work-to-keep-customers-safe-during-seasonally-windy-months-302260589.html
SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
