SCE crews prepare to safely restore power to customers as two storms approach the Southland

 

Atmospheric River Pounds SCE Service Area

Southern California Edison crews were found well prepared as an atmospheric-river-fueled weather system brought heavy rainfall and gusty winds through Friday. There was little reprieve as a second storm brought even more rain and snow Sunday through Tuesday. The heaviest precipitation and most widespread gusty winds were expected on Thursday morning.
The  National Weather Service  has issued winter storm warnings or winter weather advisories for most mountain ranges across the territory. A high wind warning was in effect for the Santa Barbara County mountains and along the Grapevine. Wind gusts were forecast to be as high as 50 to 70 mph in parts of the Southern California mountains, with locally gusty winds in coastal, valley and desert regions.

A flood watch was also in effect for parts of the Inland Empire, Orange County and Coachella Valley and eastern mountains through Friday evening.

The company had crews ready to  respond to any potential outages  and safely restore power to customers. “We are taking this storm system very seriously to ensure we are accurately prepared,” said Paul Roller, SCE Weather Services senior manager.

“Our meteorologists discuss the current conditions and the forecast with our Business Resiliency duty manager, Operations team, and Grid team so we can properly place crews in the most impacted areas. We do this to get crews in location before roads are closed due to flooding or ice."

SCE Weather Services continues to monitor an additional storm system that could bring substantial rain and mountain snow to the company’s service area.

SCE encourages customers to  stay safe and prepare for potential outages :

• If you see a downed power line, do not touch it or anything in contact with it. Stay at least 100 feet away and call 911 immediately.
• Downed wires can electrify puddles, wet grass and the surrounding area. Never touch or step in water near a downed wire since it can be electrified.
• Beware during flooding. Just 6 inches of fast-moving water can knock you down and 12 inches can sweep your vehicle away.
• Prepare for potential outages by making a safety preparedness plan for your family including emergency items such as water bottles, flashlights, first-aid kits, extra blankets, etc.
• If you have an automatic garage door or gate, learn to open it manually (without power).
• If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using heavy-duty extension cords. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews.
• When power is out, traffic signals may be out, so approach those intersections as four-way stops.

For more safety tips, visit:  sce.com/safety .

Customers may report outages at 1-800-611-1911 or online at  sce.com/outage .