FORESTHILL, Calif. — Crews with Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) company are inspecting thousands of miles of power lines following the second Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in September.
The company said it must inspect all of its lines before it can safely turn the power back on. The most recent PSPS affected more than 48,000 customers.
The amount of power lines in that area equal the distance of Sacramento to Philadelphia, PG&E Spokesperson Brandy Merlo told ABC10.
The company has decided to preemptively shut off power to its customers when there are weather conditions that could damage its power lines and spark fires. Recently, the factors included high wind, low humidity, and dry conditions.
“We’ve been given the weather all clear on all Public Safety Power Shutoff areas, so we are out patrolling and inspecting,” Merlo said. “For safety reasons, we do not patrol and inspect after dark. So, we are working diligently to try to get as many customers back on as we can but there may be a few that are over or without power overnight into tomorrow.”
Workers are traveling by foot, truck, and by helicopter to inspect the more than 2,000 miles of power lines. Many power lines in these areas are shrouded by a heavy forest canopy and must be accessed by foot.
Tyler Grant, 35, has worked as a lineman for the power company for 17 years. Grant traversed uphill through thick brush Wednesday as he inspected lines in Foresthill.
“There are portions we can fly with the helicopter, but you can see the canopy is pretty thick through here,” Grant said.
Still, some living in the area who had their power shut off said they are frustrated by the move.
“For me personally, my son just got out of the hospital and he has asthma,” said Rachel Headberg. “He was in there for a bad lung infection and he needs…breathing treatments every four hours.”
That breathing treatment is done through a device called a nebulizer, which requires electricity. Without electricity in her home in the Sierra foothills, she has been plugging the nebulizer into a power inverter in the car and administering it to him there.
“It seems unnecessary,” Headberg said.
Others who live in the affected area say they agree with the company’s decision to shut off power when there is a high fire danger.
This marks the fourth time ever that the company has preemptively shut off power to customers due to a high risk for fire. The company has faced billions of dollars in liability for its equipment having been the cause of several major wildfires in Northern California in the past several years. The company recently started the practice of shutting off the power in 2018, after receiving approval from the state to do so.
Continue the conversation with Giacomo on Facebook.
FREE ABC10 APP:
►Stay In the Know! Sign up now for ABC10's Morning Blend Newsletter