In the final days of winter, a series of storms is forecast to move through Southern California Edison’s service area this week bringing rain, wind and mountain snow.
“SCE crews and equipment are staged so we are ready to respond to any storm-related outages and safely restore power as quickly as possible,” said Andrea Tozer, SCE's incident commander for the storm.
According to the National Weather Service, wet weather and gusty winds will arrive Tuesday and continue through Friday. Parts of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range are forecast to receive up to four feet of snow, including Mammoth Lakes and Highway 395, along with heavy, wet snow in the San Bernardino, San Gabriel and San Jacinto Mountains. Travel impacts and road closures are possible and could extend for multiple days in Mono County. Periods of heavy rain are expected in lower elevations and debris flow concerns are possible Wednesday through Thursday in burn scar areas.
Though the storm system will bring high winds, Public Safety Power Shutoffs are not expected due to the low risk of fire.
“If you haven’t checked your emergency kit recently, make sure to do so ahead of the storm,” said Ted Gribble, SCE principal manager of Wildfire and Public Safety. “Try to avoid driving during heavy rain and be extra cautious in foothill communities near burn scars.”
SCE reminds customers never to touch or approach a downed wire, always stay at least 100 feet away and call 911 immediately.Here are some additional safety tips:
- Never try to remove a broken tree limb that has come in contact with a power line.
- Install surge protectors to help safeguard valuable electronic equipment, such as computers and home entertainment systems.
- If you have an automatic garage door or gate, learn to open it manually (without power).
- Check your vehicle’s wiper blades and tire treads, use caution when driving and do not enter flooded areas. Contact your city or county emergency services offices for flood preparation and sandbag locations.
- Make a safety preparedness plan for your family that includes a list and location of emergency items such as water bottles, flashlights, first-aid kits, extra blankets, etc.
- Be prepared to meet the unique needs of infants, elderly or disabled family members. Also, plan how you will care for any pets.
To check on the status of an outage or report an outage, visit sce.com/outagecenter.
