PG & E website is being overwhelmed so if you can’t get the website use this for maps and latest updates: https://abc7news.com/society/list-areas-affected-by-pg-e-power-outage-in-ca/5603558/
PG&E may do a planned power shutoff for up to 29 counties in CA (including parts of Sonoma County) starting at 4 AM tomorrow (Wednesday) morning, due to high-fire-risk weather (extremely dry conditions + wind). The outage could last a day or two, or potentially up to 5 days in the highest risk areas. For now, Sebastopol and most of west county are not being included in the anticipated shutoffs. You can look up whether parts of your town could be affected and check for updates on when power will be restored here: https://www.pge.com/en_US/safety/emergency-preparedness/natural-disaster/wildfires/public-safety-event.page
We’re now in peak wildfire season (until we get some soaking rains, which might not come until sometime in November, like last year). Below are some links to local and national resources for fire prevention as well as other emergency preparedness and disaster response resources for any time of year (for earthquakes, floods, etc.). Note: 95% of wildfires are caused by people (not lightning), i.e., they are preventable. Common causes are sparks from: power equipment (e.g., lawnmowers, weedwhackers); campfires, fire pits, and grills; cigarette butts; vehicles; trailer chains dragging on pavement; fireworks — or anything that can cause a spark or overheat, especially if it’s near dry grass or dry leaves or brush. When conditions are dry (and especially when it’s also windy), sparks can easily and quickly turn into out-of-control fires. Equipment like lawnmowers and weedwhackers should not be used on extremely dry, and/or windy or hot days (or it’s recommended that they only be used before 10 AM, on days when the grass is damp from dew and it’s not too breezy). Here are some groups and websites to check out; you may also want to follow their social media pages: CalFire: https://www.fire.ca.gov CalFire Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit: https://www.facebook.com/CALFIRELNU/ SoCo Emergency Alerts: https://socoemergency.org/home/emergency/stay-informed/socoalert/ Sonoma County Emergency management: https://socoemergency.org Nixle alerts: http://www.nixle.com Red Cross mobile apps: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies/mobile-apps.html Red Cross, Northern California Coastal Region: https://www.redcross.org/local/california/northern-california-coastal.html https://www.facebook.com/RedCrossNorCalCoastal/ Your local fire departments, e.g., Gold Ridge Fire District https://www.facebook.com/grfd81 / , Graton Fire https://www.facebook.com/gratonfire/ National Weather Service for the San Francisco Bay Area (be aware when there are Red Flag warnings in the area): https://www.facebook.com/NWSBayArea/ Sebastopol CERT: http://sebastopolcert.org Fire Safe Sonoma: http://firesafesonoma.org Sonoma CART (Community Animal Response Team): https://www.sonomacart.org/ https://www.facebook.com/sonomacart/ HALTER Project: https://www.facebook.com/halterproject/ Bodega Bay CERT: https://www.bodegabaycert.org Community and Disaster Response Team: https://www.facebook.com/CDResponse/ West County News Feed: https://www.facebook.com/Westcountynewsfeeed/ Ready for Wildfire: http://www.readyforwildfire.org Pre-evacuation prep info: http://www.readyforwildfire.org/Pre-Evacuation-Preparation/ How to Prepare for Emergencies: https://www.redcross.org/get-help/how-to-prepare-for-emergencies.html Ready: http://www.ready.gov
“Get Ready, Be Ready: Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response” (including emergency kit/evacuation checklists): https://www.TheGreenSpotlight.com/2019/01/disaster-preparedness/ ASPCA Disaster Preparedness for pets/animals: https://www.aspca.org/pet-care/general-pet-care/disaster-preparedness Community Emergency Response Teams: https://www.ready.gov/community-emergency-response-team
Resilient Design Strategies: http://www.resilientdesign.org/resilient-design-strategies/ Disaster Supply Center: http://www.disastersupplycenter.com I hope these links are helpful to you. Feel free to share them with others. (I also posted this list on the Next-door.com site.)
Be prepared and be safe, everyone. And let’s all look out for our neighbors.