ROSEMEAD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--With strong winds continuing this afternoon and evening, Southern California Edison (SCE) reminds its customers outages may occur – and to never approach or touch downed power lines.
As of 1:15 p.m. PST, 1,115 customers in the wind-battered regions of the San Gabriel Valley are affected by weather-related outages. About 8,000 customers are without power in SCE’s service territory. SCE’s Incident Command System has been activated to manage the wind storm restoration effort. SCE crews are working quickly and safely to restore power to customers without service, and additional crews are on standby if more outages occur.
In addition to customer communication, SCE continues to provide local elected officials and community leaders with the most up-to-date information regarding weather-related outages. SCE also will provide the latest information about outages at www.sce.com, on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/SoCalEdison and on Facebook at www.Facebook.com/SoCalEdison.
Although this wind event is not anticipated to have the same magnitude as the one from two weeks ago, the National Weather Service is forecasting strong winds in Los Angeles, San Bernardino, Riverside, Orange and Ventura counties through Saturday afternoon.
Customer safety is a top priority for SCE. If you see a downed line or dangling wire — even if it appears not to be live — don’t touch or approach it and call 911 immediately. Here are important tips to keep in mind:
- Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops, as the law requires.
- Make sure you have a battery-operated radio and flashlights. Check the batteries to make sure they are fresh. Use flashlights for lighting during a power outage; do not use candles because they may pose a significant fire hazard.
- Do not use any equipment inside that is designed for outdoor heating or outdoor cooking. Such equipment can emit carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
- If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into the generator, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews.
- Leave the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed to keep your food as fresh as possible. Place blocks of ice inside to help keep food cold. Check food carefully for signs of spoilage.
- Check on your neighbors to make sure everyone is safe.
A video and fact sheet about power line safety is available at: www.sce.com/powerlines. The information is available in Spanish at: www.sce.com/cables.
About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.