Golden Gate Park and Bernal Heights among hardest hit in San Francisco power crisis
Bay Area, California – A fierce winter storm has left over 170,000 Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) customers without electricity across Northern and Central California, as intense weather conditions, including an unusual tornado warning in San Francisco, wreak havoc in the region. PG&E claims that about 1,300 different power outages affected 171,409 customers total as of 10 a.m. Saturday.
With 3,221 people losing power, San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park area saw some of the most severe interruptions. Bernal Heights also recorded significant outages, impacting more than 500 consumers. About 13,000 San Francisco residents experienced blackouts citywide, which prompted local emergency agencies to intensify their reaction. The executive director of San Francisco’s Department of Emergency Management, Mary Ellen Carroll, underlined the general extent of the power outages around the city.
The storm had effects outside of San Francisco. Cities including Richmond and El Cerrito in the East Bay reported more than 4,000 customers without power. The South Bay’s largest outage affected the Silver Creek neighborhood of San Jose, where close to 6,000 customers were plunged into darkness.
With almost 50,000 consumers without power, the Central Coast suffered most from the storm’s fury, nevertheless. Of these outages, Monterey alone accounted for more than 7,400; the Aptos area reported another 12,000. Unincorporated portions of the Central Coast and smaller towns also suffered severely; reports indicate that more than 9,000 residents are left without electricity.
Through their online outage center, PG&E encourages impacted consumers to remain informed and has been actively changing their outage map to reflect the current situation. The energy supplier stated that repair teams, given the size of the storm, could need up to 24 hours to completely evaluate the circumstances and offer a reasonable estimate for when power might be restored.
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The utility’s continuous efforts to control and fix the outages involve staff working hard all across the impacted areas to rapidly and safely restore power. Residents should frequently check the projected restoration times using PG&E’s dedicated outage tools online and report any outages straight to the company. As the region braces for more possible inclement weather, officials urge the public to remain prepared and to prioritize safety during this challenging time.
