PLACER COUNTY, Calif. — Roughly 30,000 customers were without power Monday morning in Placer County after the second of two storms hit the Sacramento Valley.
As of 9 a.m., about 30,000 customers were without electric service because strong winds damaged power lines and tore down trees Sunday, according to the Pacific Gas and Electric Company. At least 15,000 customers are still in the dark as of 5:45 p.m.
PG&E Chief Operating Officer Sumeet Singh provided an update on PG&E's storm response and restoration work.
"In terms of outage totals, this was one of the top three most damaging, single-day storms on record, only comparable to storms in 1995 and 2008," he said from the company's Emergency Operations Center in Vacaville. "We understand how difficult it is to be without electricity. Please know we are here to support you and we will not rest until the lights are back on."
Susan McQueen lives in Rocklin. She said she experienced a power outage at her home for about 12 hours. High winds also uprooted a tall tree in front of her house near Cedar and High streets.
"We were just hoping that it would not hit any cars," McQueen said. "It's been there as long as I've been here, and I thought about taking it out a couple of times."
McQueen used the camera on her cell phone to capture the moment the tree fell. She said neighbors helped with the clean up.
"Nobody got hurt," McQueen said. "I got to know some of my neighbors who I never met before. They showed up with chainsaws. All things considered, I came out pretty lucky."
Lois Watts lives next to McQueen. She says she waited about 12 hours for her lights to come back on at her home, too. Watts said she saw the tree fall, and she's glad no one got hurt. She goes on to explain the importance of being weather-ready.
"The winds were terrible," Watts said. "I was not ready or prepared. But, I always got flashlights somewhere in the house. I was just watching a series on TV and the lights went out."
Elsewhere in Placer County, PG&E is working to restore power for thousands of customers. PG&E is getting help from out-of-state crews and other utility companies to get the job done.
PG&E said it is difficult to estimate when the power will be restored because of the extensive storm damage.
"More than 3,000 of my coworkers are out in force, working to assess the damage and make the necessary repairs," Singh said.
If you're experiencing an extended outage, "it's likely because of access challenges for our crews due to hazards, including downed trees, damaged or impassible roads, mudslides or land integrity issues that could pose significant safety risks," according to PG&E.