PG&E: Power Restoration Begins in Some Areas

More than 1.5 million people in Northern California are without power, some for a second day, as strong winds sweep through the region.

Pacific Gas and Electric Co. cut power to more than 140,000 customers late Wednesday night to prevent wildfires amid dry, windy weather and extreme fire danger. The new power cuts turned off the lights in parts of the San Francisco Bay area, but not in the city itself.

Another 500,000 customers had their electricity cut off earlier by the utility to prevent transmission lines from being toppled and starting wildfires amid heavy winds and extreme fire danger. Experts say there are generally 2.5 people for each electrical customer.

PG&E says it has begun restoring power to some areas and 126,000 customers have had their power restored. The current amount of people impacted is 600,000.

Forecasters say wind gusts early Thursday on some San Francisco Bay Area hills reached speeds of 70 mph (110 kph). There was an overnight fire in the suburban town of Moraga that sent residents fleeing from their homes until the fire was put out.

Earlier, PG&E spokesman Mark Mesesan said Wednesday it may take days to restore power because power lines and equipment must be checked before being re-energized.

Mesesan says the outages are a safety measure.

Some residents say they're mad about the shutoff. "I'm angry at PG&E. Yeah. And most of my friends are angry as well," says Blair Roman.

"They didn't do what they were supposed to do and keep up with the lines and the power, and their answer to everything is shut it off so we can't get blamed for it. It's just a major inconvenience. It's going to cost companies billions of dollars, and it could've all been avoided."

Windy conditions are expected to last through midday Thursday.

CBS says here are the top things you should know during the outages:

  • Register with PG&E to get alerts, that way you'll know exactly when your power will go out and come back on. While you're at it, register with your local county.
  • If you have solar panels, they will not power your house. Only those with a home battery or special inverter can get power from their panels.
  • Stock up on seven days of food, water and flashlights and batteries. If you're still using old incandescent bulbs, this might be a good time to upgrade. LED lights last much longer.
  • Keep in mind your garage door will not work, so you'll need to open it manually.
  • Finally, many people will be buying their first generator. Make sure to run it outside or somewhere with good ventilation. Place it on a flat surface away from combustible materials

Some of the most destructive blazes in California in recent years were started by PG&E power lines. Winds can knock down live wires and power poles or drive trees and other vegetation into contact with them.

(The Associated Press contributed to this report.)