PG&E shut off power in parts of San Luis Obispo County at 6 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 15Â to reduce wildfire risk during forecasted strong winds, leaving approximately 4,000 customers without power, according to PG&E.
The shutoff was previously expected to end by 11 a.m. Saturday, though the timeline could change depending on weather conditions, according to PG&E.
San Luis Obispo Emergency Manager Joe Little said PG&E considers wind strength and vegetation dryness when determining whether to implement a power shutoff.
“The warning gives residents and customers, including government, medical, schools, etc., time to prepare and plan for closures and contingencies,” Little wrote in an email to Mustang News.
Preparations may include activating backup generators or closing facilities ahead of the shutoff, Little wrote.Â
As of Wednesday morning, PG&E removed most of San Luis Obispo and Cal Poly from PG&E’s projected shutoff area, according to Little. However, he said those areas could be added back as weather conditions change.
The anticipated outage may affect some student and staff residences and the Technology Park, according to a university email.
Noah Latterman, marine biology sophomore and Mustang Village resident, said he received a warning text from PG&E about the potential shutoff. Latterman said he was concerned about losing power during midterms and confused about why he had not heard from his professors about backup plans.
“The text from PG&E gave me time to buy portable chargers and prepare my house, but I have not received anything from my professors and I am starting to be worried,” Latterman said.
Latterman said an unplanned power outage on Oct. 7 disrupted his studying and left him unable to fully charge his phone and laptop before class the next morning.
“By the time I had to be up for class that I had a test in, my devices had very little charge. I now have backup portable chargers, but I am still worried something like this will happen again this Thursday,” Latterman said.
The outage affected nearly 6,000 PG&E customers in northern San Luis Obispo, including neighborhoods near Foothill Boulevard. Approximately 4,100 customers remained without power at 8:37a.m, according to PG&E.Â
The Cal Poly Creamery and Center for Wine and Viticulture are included within the northwestern region. A sign on the creamery’s door on Thursday afternoon stated it was closed due to the outage but the drive-thru will be open Friday from noon to 4 p.m.
Temporary generators will be deployed in advance to prevent the products from spoiling, according to an email from the university.
Miguel Pedroza, a professor in the wine & viticulture department, said the outage may permanently affect flavors of wine.
“Equipment here requires electricity to move,” Pedroza said. “This would mean that those wines would sit there for a longer time until power comes back, and sometimes that changes the flavor of the wine to a completely different style. Wine is a resilient drink because it has alcohol. You have some way to fight back. You can deal with hours or maybe one day, two days.”
Cuesta College also experienced a power outage Monday, disrupting students’ coursework. The outage began around 10:18 a.m., with power restored around noon, according to PG&E’s power outage map.
Chase Worthington, a Cuesta College sophomore, said his laptop battery died shortly before an assignment was due.
“Losing power for only about an hour caused me to get behind on turning in my assignment and even caused my lecture for the rest of the day to be cancelled. I cannot imagine losing it for even three hours, let alone three days,” Worthington said.
With the new warnings in place, Cuesta College is holding classes remotely from Oct. 15 until Oct. 17 due to the planned shutoff, according to their campus website.Â
Little recommended that students prepare for the possibility of being without power for up to three days. He also advised residents to keep refrigerator doors closed to preserve food and use ice packs and insulated coolers to keep medications cold during an outage.
“If you have any doubt, throw it out,” he wrote. “Having food poisoning during a power outage is not fun.”
AlertSLO is an emergency notification system that residents can sign up for to receive local safety alerts. Little encouraged students and faculty to register for updates during the ongoing power shutoff.