National Preparedness Month: As Wildfire Season Peaks, PG&E Continues Mitigation and Safety Work to Keep Customers Safe During Seasonally Windy Months
PG&E Provides Customer Resources Before, During and After PSPS Outages
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,
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Providing Customer Resources 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
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.
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.
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,
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.
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 fromCommunity 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.
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
For program application instructions, customers can visit disabilitydisasteraccess.org or learn more at pge.com/ddar.
211
This resource is available 24/7 in more than 150 languages. While 211 provides proactive outreach to all
To learn more, customers can dial 211, text 'Prepare' to 211-211 or visit 211.org to find their local 211.
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