Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)

Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS)

Published on October 16, 2024

Red Flag Warning

The National Weather Service (NWS) has issued a Red Flag Warning for parts of the Bay Area due to dry and windy conditions that pose a risk of wildfires spreading quickly. The Red Flag Warning is in effect beginning Thursday, October 17 at 11:00 pm through Saturday, October 19 at 5:00 pm. This includes the Santa Cruz Mountains above 1,000 feet due to high winds and low humidity.

Status: Monitoring Conditions

Due to current weather conditions, the City of Palo Alto Utilities is monitoring winds to determine if a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) will be required to reduce the potential for a wildfire in the Foothills. The electric lines most likely to be considered for PSPS are lines in Palo Alto west of Highway 280. Palo Alto could also be impacted by PSPS activities initiated by PG&E on the transmission system.

The City is communicating with customers in the potentially affected PSPS areas to inform that we are monitoring conditions. This webpage will be updated as conditions evolve and new information becomes available.

View the power outage map for updates at cityofpaloalto.org/outages.

To prepare for a power outage, remember to plan in advance. Learn more on our PSPS homepage or in our recent PSPS Bill Insert(PDF, 624KB).

Additional Resources

Dial 9-1-1 in the event of a life-threatening emergency. For non-emergency public safety issues, call (650) 329-2413. For Public Safety Power Shutoff updates, call Utilities Customer Service at (650) 329-2161. Read more about PSPS here.

The State's Office of Health & Human Services has set up a non-emergency hotline at 1 (833) 284-3473 to help those who are medically vulnerable.

The City of Palo Alto uses AlertSCC to communicate during emergency events such as natural disasters. You can sign up to receive Alert SCC notifications here and follow our Emergency Preparedness page at cityofpaloalto.org/preparedness.

Information for PG&E Customers

In response to the current forecast, PG&E is also monitoring conditions for their electric utility customers. There are a few Palo Alto residents in the Palo Alto area west of highway 280 served by PG&E who may be impacted by a shutoff from PG&E. These customers should contact PG&E for information on their Public Safety Power Shutoff plans. Visit https://pgealerts.alerts.pge.com/psps-updates/.

Outage Preparations

You may want to consider the following steps to be prepared for a power outage:

• Utilize an emergency supply kit with enough water, food, medicine, batteries and flashlights to last several days.
• Consult with your medical professional regarding medical treatment, backup generators, or other power supplies for medical or other needs.
• Have your vehicle gas tank filled or electric battery charged, and cash on hand (as electronic transaction devices and ATM machines may be without power).

Emergency Preparedness

Emergency preparedness information can be found at cityofpaloalto.org/preparedness.

Important phone numbers to call during an emergency include:

• For general Fire Department inquiries, (650) 329-2184.
• For non-emergency public safety issues,(650) 329-2413.
• For emergencies only, 911

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