Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) has notified the County that it will implement a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in Marin County. The PSPS is confirmed in response to a strong wind event coupled with extreme fire conditions. The extended outage will begin as early as 4:00p.m. on Saturday, October 26, depending on weather patterns. The outage will continue through the duration of the weather event.
The National Weather Service has issued a Red Flag Warning and High Wind Warning for the North Bay region, which will remain in place until Monday evening. The duration of the shutoff is unknown and will be determined by PG&E. Though the weather event will end Monday, power restoration could take several days. Residents should be prepared to be without power for up to 5 days.
PG&E increased its estimate to 118,535 metered locations within Marin will be impacted by the extended outage. It is approximately 99% of the County. The Marin County Sheriff’s Office of Emergency Services has activated it’s Emergency Operations Center and is coordinating with other agencies within Marin.
Who to call for information
Call 2-1-1 for non-emergency calls, including questions about medical devices, community resource center and charging center locations, and referrals to other social services. 2-1-1 should be your primary contact number. In addition, residents can text MARINSHUTOFF to 898-211 (or MARINAPAGON to 898-211 for Spanish speaking residents) to receive helpful information.
Only call 9-1-1 if you are experiencing a medical emergency (e.g., severe bleeding, chest pain, etc.), or to report a downed power line or tree which could create a public hazard.
All questions regarding PSPS events and extended outages should be directed to PG&E via their website and 1-800-743-5000. Residents and businesses can access updated PSPS information from PG&E online at www.pge.com/pspsupdates and verify impacted addresses at www.pge.com/eventmaps.
Prepare Now
- Take inventory of available supplies such as non-perishable food, water, and flashlight batteries.
- Have some cash available in case retail point-of-sale devices are unable to accept credit cards during an outage.
- Keep mobile phones and other electric equipment charged.
- Know how to manually open electric garage doors and gates.
- Identify several evacuation routes for your location in case roads are blocked. Tell someone out of the area which routes you plan to use.
- Keep vehicles fueled and ready in case of an evacuation.
- Make a list of what you’ll want to take with you if you leave your home quickly. Consider the Five P’s of Evacuation: People/Pets; Prescriptions; Papers; Personal Needs; Priceless Items.
Residents who depend on electrically powered life sustaining equipment should follow these steps
- Call their emergency contact for support and assistance. Consider relocating to a non-affected area.
- Call their durable medical equipment provider for additional supplies and resources.
- Call their healthcare provider for medical guidance.
- Call 2-1-1 for general information and resources.
- Call 9-1-1 if experiencing a life-threatening medical emergency.
For more information, including what to do during a power outage, visit www.readymarin.org and www.ready.gov.
Stay Safe During an Outage
- Keep freezers and refrigerators closed. The refrigerator will keep food cold for about four hours. A full freezer will keep the temperature for about 48 hours. Use coolers with ice if necessary. Monitor temperatures with a thermometer.
- Maintain food supplies that do not require refrigeration.
- Avoid carbon monoxide poisoning. Generators, camp stoves, or charcoal grills should always be used outdoors and at least 20 feet away from windows. Never use a gas stovetop or oven to heat your home.
- Check on your neighbors. Older adults and young children are especially vulnerable to extreme temperatures.
- Go to a community location with power if heat or cold is extreme.
- Turn off or disconnect appliances, equipment, or electronics. Power may return with momentary “surges” or “spikes” that can cause damage.
- During a power outage, treat unlit traffic lights as a four way stop.
- Turn off irrigation systems and reduce water use. Conserving water eases demand on backup generators and ensures we have enough water for firefighting and other essential needs.
Charging Stations
Once power goes out, local agencies and community partners plan to activate a series of charging stations for affected residents to recharge cell phone and small devices. Hours listed are effective once the outage occurs.
- Bolinas: Bolinas Fire Department, 100 Mesa Road (9:00am until 5:00pm)
- Corte Madera: Corte Madera Rec Center, 498 Tamalpais Drive (Sunday 12pm-5pm, Mon-Thu 9am-4pm)
- Corte Madera: Town Hall, 300 Tamalpais Drive (Mon-Thu 9am-4pm)
- Larkspur: Central Marin Police station Community Room, 250 Doherty Drive (Open 24 hours)
- Mill Valley: The Mill Valley Community Center, 180 Camino Alto, Mill Valley (Mon-Fri, 8:30am to 5:30pm) More information
- San Anselmo: San Anselmo Library, 110 Tunstead (Saturday & Sunday 12pm-5pm, Mon-Wed 10am-8pm, and Thursday 10am-5pm)
- Sausalito: Sausalito City Hall, 420 Litho Street, (9:00 am- 9:00 pm)
Stay Informed
- PG&E text alerts: text ‘Enroll” to 97633
- PG&E by phone: dial 877-9000-PGE
- Sign up to receive safety information on Nixle by texting your ZIP code to 888-777.
- Sign up for AlertMarin notifications to receive information on immediate threats to personal safety or property, tailored to an address of your choosing.
- Sign-up for PSPS Zip Code Alerts by texting ENROLL to 97633 or by calling 1-877-9000-PGE.
- Update contact information with PG&E at pge.com/mywildfirealerts or by calling 1-866-743-6589.