The power has gone out in western Nevada County…again.

The Public Safety Power Shutoff is in full effect and the power is out in most of Nevada County and this time the wind is blowing hard…. but as promised PG and E has re-energized the Tier 1 areas of downtown Grass Valley, East Main Street and the Brunswick Basin. Tier 1 areas are low fire-risk with underground power lines and high priority facilities containing hospitals and skilled nursing facilities.
Becasue of the high winds there have been reports of trees down or limbs blocking roadways. Wheeler Acres road near Sky Pines.. Be careful if you are driving in the area.
Signal lights that are not operating should be treated as 4-way stops.

PSPS activities began in Northern Sierra Foothill communities including Redding around 5:00 PM. Reports of power outages began around 6:45. The power in Grass Valley went out just before 8:00PM. PG&E is currently estimating the “all-clear” to begin inspecting lines Monday, but duration of restoration will be dependent on level of damages sustained during the wind event. Downed power lines and trees may likely impact rate of restoration.

Nevada County will be opening a charging center at the North San Juan Community Center, today 10/27 from 11AM to 8PM. There will be 48 plugs for charging available and canned water donated by the North San Juan Fire Protection District. There will not be heat but there will be blankets available. The North San Juan Community Center is located at 29190 CA-49, North San Juan, CA.

PG&E has opened the following Community Resource Centers (CRC) from 2:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. today and 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. throughout PSPS outages:
• Sierra College: 250 Sierra College Dr, Grass Valley, CA
• Elks Lodge: 518 CA-49, Nevada City, CA
• Former Penn Valley Community Church: 11739 Spenceville Road, Penn Valley, CA
• Gold Country Fairgrounds: 209 Fairgate Rd, Auburn, CA

The CRCs will provide restrooms, bottled water, electronic device charging and air-conditioned seating as usual, and will also be adding snacks, coffee, tea, hot water, flashlights and batteries, portable cell phone chargers, portable solar LED lights, coloring books and crayons.

Areas of Brunswick Basin that were re-energized Wednesday evening shortly after this week’s PG&E PSPS are considered low fire-risk areas and contain underground lines. PG&E was able to tie generators into their Brunswick Basin substation giving parts of the Brunswick Basin power and may be able to re-energize this area again shortly after de-energization for the possible Saturday through Monday PG&E PSPS. These areas of the Grass Valley Brunswick Basin may be able to be re-energized quickly due to low fire-risk and PG&E tying in generators into their Brunswick Basin substation.

Nevada County’s GIS team has made a map of both the PG&E PSPS outage areas and the estimated Brunswick Basin backup area.

Nevada County PSPS and Backup Power Area Map

While it is understood that PG&E’s Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) measures are intended to protect communities from the threat of equipment-related wildfires, Nevada County recognizes that these measures may cause other negative public health and safety threats, especially to those who rely on power for life-sustaining equipment, treatments and mobility and those with chronic medical conditions. Please consider the following to prepare prior to the PSPS:
• Take inventory of items you need that rely on electricity.
• If you have medication that requires refrigeration, have a plan for appropriate storage in the event of a PSPS. If you are unsure about what this may mean, please contact your pharmacist.
• If you have essential medical equipment that requires electricity, either have a plan to relocate temporarily to a location that still has power, have a safe backup power source, or plan to use one of PG&E’s Community Resource Centers, which are open during daylight hours.
• Stock up on batteries, flashlights, and nonperishable foods. For more information on food safety, please visit: www.MyNevadaCounty.com/FoodSafety
• Have a back-up charging device if you are able.
• If you are on a well and you lose water when you lose power, then store plenty of water for drinking, cleaning and flushing.
• Keep your car fueled up, and if you have an electronic garage door opener, don’t park in your garage unless you can easily open your garage door manually. Lastly, we encourage everyone to watch out for your family, friends and neighbors. Reach out to friends and family who you think may need additional information or support.Prepare for today’s power outage