2:28
Public Safety Power Shutoff in Marin is underway. Currently no traffic lights at the intersection of N. Bridge and Bridgway Blvd in Sausalito/Marin City. Please use caution and treat outages at traffic lights as 4-way stops. #MarinPSPS #pgeshutoff pic.twitter.com/ZVxJfyXOnj
— Marin County Sheriff (@MarinSheriff) October 9, 2019
A total of 800,000 Northern and Central California customers are expected to be impacted eventually, PG&E officials said Tuesday night.
A local emergency was declared in Santa Clara County, where 38,250 customers were expected to be impacted, said county officials.
#PSPS: Early this morning, PG&E turned off power for safety to counties in phase one (approx. 500k customers). That phase is complete. If you still have power IN THESE COUNTIES (see graphic) you will not lose power due to a PSPS. pic.twitter.com/mzlVmdTXhk
— PG&E (@PGE4Me) October 9, 2019
#PSPS: Additional proactive shutoffs for safety will begin later this afternoon and into early evening in portions of these counties (see table). This phase of the safety shutoff also includes some parts of Mendocino and Calaveras not turned off this morning. pic.twitter.com/DMFltsMoEZ
— PG&E (@PGE4Me) October 9, 2019
Alexandra Norman, associate head of school at Tilden Preparatory School Marin, called the outages \"outrageous\" and \"such an inconvenience.\"
\"It's been so hard for us to have class and continue with school throughout the power outage because really everything we do runs on power,\" Norman said.
![\"PHOTO:Crews](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/outages-7-ap-er-191009_hpEmbed_13x7_384.jpg\")
In Napa County, police had to step in when a battery backup failed at a busy intersection. The city of Santa Rosa said it was aware of \"multiple\" traffic collisions due to stop lights being down.
#DEVELOPING When the backup to the backup fails, it’s time for the humans to step in. That’s exactly what #CHP is doing at the busy intersection of Highway 29 an 221 in #Napa Co. The battery backup failed to keep the traffic signals working. pic.twitter.com/Ah4tlFAlxo
— Laura Anthony (@LauraAnthony7) October 9, 2019
No lights working but plenty of action at Farmers Lane and Hwy 12 in Santa Rosa. Power went out this morning. Every driver for his or herself. How are you doing? #abc7now #pgeshutoff pic.twitter.com/cpjAKXY7CH
— Wayne Freedman (@WayneFreedman) October 9, 2019
In Sausalito, just outside San Francisco, Laura Stiles arrived to her office Wednesday to find \"complete and utter darkness.\" Her colleague found it difficult to access the latest PG&E status online as the overwhelmed website went down for hours.
\"We understand that they're doing what they have to do in a way, but trying to find out information has been the most frustrating, so we really don't know day to day how to plan,\" Stiles told ABC News.
Local school districts as well as UC Berkeley have canceled classes due to the outages.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/outages-6-ap-er-191009_hpMain_4x3t_384.jpg\")
Lindsey Garcia said she lost power at midnight and stocked up on candles and batteries ahead of time.
\"It's going to be like a really rugged camping trip,\" Garcia told ABC News, and said her kids are going \"stir-crazy.\"
But she noticed it wasn't especially windy and questioned why a power shutoff was necessary.
She wishes her children didn't have to miss school, but she's using the outage as an opportunity to get them to play outside -- instead of being tied to electronics.
The last minute rush to prepare. Long lines, empty shelves at the Safeway in Orinda ahead of the planned #PGEpowershutdown pic.twitter.com/1aAwpLmaA5
— Liz Kreutz (@ABCLiz) October 9, 2019
Long lines @ the gas pumps in #Napa. Power outages pushing people to prepare pic.twitter.com/FjnrEVEWaz
— Lisa Amin Gulezian (@LisaAminABC7) October 9, 2019
Once the winds die down, PG&E will need to inspect every power pole across the area before turning the lights back on. Authorities said restoration can be anywhere from 36 hours up to five days.
\"We understand the effects this event will have on our customers and appreciate the public’s patience as we do what is necessary to keep our communities safe and reduce the risk of wildfire,” Michael Lewis, PG&E’s senior vice president of Electric Operations, said in a statement.
Another angle of the #BriceburgFire from an alternate PG&E camera. pic.twitter.com/y8uXCbCqHo
— NWS Hanford (@NWSHanford) October 8, 2019
Southern California could be impacted, too, as gusty winds move in later in the week.
A preemptive shutdown in Southern California would be historic. Southern California Edison incident commander Terry Ohanian said he’s been with the company for over 35 years and they have never attempted a preemptive shut down like this before.
![\"PHOTO:](\"http://a.abcnews.com/images/US/weather-map-fire-danger-abc-jef-191009_hpEmbed_16x9_384.jpg\")
\"We won't just de-energize for the sake of doing it,\" Ohanian told ABC News Wednesday morning. \"We know it's an inconvenience for our customers so we try to be thoughtful about what we do, but the potential is there.\"
\"And unlike a planned outage where we can schedule it for a certain period of time, this is a function of when the wind blows and when the weather materializes,\" he said.
Some helpful tips when preparing for Public Power Safety Shutoffs. #CAwx pic.twitter.com/AVBwiZDytq
— NWS Bay Area (@NWSBayArea) October 9, 2019
Ohanian said 170,000 Southern California Edison customers may be impacted.
The California Highway Patrol is reminding drivers that if a traffic light is flashing, treat it as a stop sign intersection. If the light is out, treat as an all-way stop.
ABC News' Matt Gutman, Annie Pong, Will Carr and Jennifer Watts contributed to this report.
","canonicalUrl":"https://abcnews.com/US/electricity-cut-hundreds-thousands-california-reduce-wildfire-risk/story?id=66156324","legacySlug":"/news/story/electricity-cut-hundreds-thousands-california-reduce-wildfire-risk-66156324","noIndexNoFollow":false},"publishTime":"09:40","publishDate":"10-10-2019","updatedTime":"15:28","updatedDate":"10-10-2019","socialImage":{"alt":"CVS Pharmacy shift supervisor James Quinn throws out ice cream from darkened freezers as downtown Sonoma, Calif., remains without power, Oct. 9, 2019. Pacific Gas and Electric has cut power to more than half a million customers in Northern California hoping to prevent wildfires during dry, windy weather throughout the region.","credit":"Noah Berger/AP","ratio":"16x9","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/US/outages-5-ap-er-191009_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg","width":992,"height":558},"datePublished":"10/10/2019 09:40:00 GMT","video":{"live":false,"id":66156324,"headline":"Power slowly being restored to California homes","mediaAssetTitle":"WILDFIRE POWER CUTS","description":"It could take several days to fully restore power, PG&E officials said.","duration":"2:28","posterImg":{"url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","width":608,"height":342},"video":{"feed":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/10/191010_gma_carr_west_0702_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8"},"playlist":["132055565","131830882","130993584"]},"relatedItems":[{"contentType":"video","date":"April 15, 2026","headline":"American influencer found dead in Tanzania","section":"News","slug":"/video/132055565","id":"132055565","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: American influencer found dead in Tanzania","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260415_gma_norwood_ashlee2_732_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"April 8, 2026","headline":"Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","section":"News","slug":"/video/131830882","id":"131830882","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Ceasefire analysis, unanswered questions ahead","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260408_gma_krl1_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}},{"contentType":"video","date":"March 12, 2026","headline":"Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","section":"News","slug":"/video/130993584","id":"130993584","image":{"alt":"VIDEO: Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","credit":"ABCNews.com","ratio":"1x1","url":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","width":384,"height":384},"images":{"alt":"VIDEO: Winter whiplash plunges temperatures along the East Coast","credit":"ABCNews.com","crops":[{"16x9":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"9x16":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_9x16_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_9x16_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_16x9_1600.jpg"}},{"1x1":{"small":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_608.jpg","medium":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_992.jpg","large":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/260312_gma_zee_storm2_hpMain_1x1_1600.jpg"}}]}}],"relatedContentSection":"news","schemaContent":{"name":"Power slowly being restored to California homes","description":"It could take several days to fully restore power, PG&E officials said.","duration":"2:28","uploadDate":"10-10-2019","publication":"10-10-2019","images":"https://s.abcnews.com/images/GMA/default-img-undefined.png","url":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/10/191010_gma_carr_west_0702_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","contentUrl":"https://service-pkgabcnews.akamaized.net/opp/hls/abcnews/2019/10/191010_gma_carr_west_0702_,500,800,1200,1800,2500,3200,4500,.mp4.csmil/playlist.m3u8","link":"https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/news/story/electricity-cut-hundreds-thousands-california-reduce-wildfire-risk-66156324"}},"playlist":[{"id":"132054443","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132054798","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"132033010","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131912713","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131830583","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131834976","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554765","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131554815","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131543053","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131432442","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131121474","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131247079","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131228784","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131178806","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131142257","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131046664","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131048076","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"131033212","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130999943","contentType":"story","section":"news"},{"id":"130971027","contentType":"story","section":"news"}],"kvps":{"pgtyp":"article","lang":"en","sp":"goodmorningamerica","programmatic":"true","bundleId":"com.abcnews"}},"analytics":{"accountID":"wdgnewwdgnewgmaweb","ns":"gma","pageName":"gma:news:video","pageType":"video","globalSpecVersion":"v1.08","siteDifferentiator":"gma:site","tagID":"g_page01","userABCookie":"0","section":"news","title":"Power slowly being restored to California homes","pubTime":"05:40","pubDate":"10-10-2019","modTime":"11:28","modDate":"10-10-2019","taxonomyTags":"none","id":66156324,"editorialOtherSubjects":"","wordCount":"none","columns":"none","authors":"","authorsUnit":"none","authorsBureau":"none","subBrand":"Good Morning America","provider":"Good Morning America","videoName":"Power slowly being restored to California homes","mediaAssetTitle":"WILDFIRE POWER CUTS","videoId":66156324,"mediaOnPage":"video","legacySlug":"/news/story/electricity-cut-hundreds-thousands-california-reduce-wildfire-risk-66156324"},"taboola":{}},"request":{"headers":{},"httpVersion":"1.1","method":"GET","url":"/video/66156324","vary":{"host":"www.goodmorningamerica.com","cached":true,"path":"/video/66156324","forwarded-proto":"https","device":"desktop","userab":"0"}},"viewport":{"width":1260,"height":0},"user":{}};