Just weeks after dealing with a pre-emptive power outage, some 70,000 Pacific Gas & Electric (PG&E) customers are being warned that it could happen again.
The utility company is warning customers in nine Northern California counties that it may disconnect power in portions of those counties due to hazardous wind conditions.
Restaurant, gas stations, grocery stores and other businesses in the City of Colfax had to close for about two hours during the last planned outage.
Donnie Costa is the produce manager at the city’s only grocery store. He told ABC10 the last shut down cost the family-run store several hundred dollars. And he worries that if these events happen more frequently, and for longer periods of time, that businesses could lose much more.
“Well, when power shuts down, we have to close because we have no power, obviously,” Costa said. “So, we close. We lock the doors and businesses ceases. We try to cover up all the perishables and keep the doors shut so the ice cream doesn’t melt.”
Costa says each day of a power outage could cost the business tens of thousands of dollars in lost sales and perishable products that would have to be thrown away.
Some Colfax residents say they'd rather be safe than sorry.
“I understand the risk of fire and I’d rather have the power go off for a few hours, even a day, than to risk fire," said Jana Hook.
PG&E officials tweeted that the company is only making the decision to disconnect power when safety is at risk. The company has been blamed for more than a dozen major fires that has resulted in deaths and billions of dollars in damages. The company is facing hundreds of millions of dollars in lawsuits from insurance companies.
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