I am writing this around 9:30pm on Thursday, March 16th and it appears (see map below) that most of Menlo Park has had their power restored. My heart goes out to those still waiting...I know this has been terribly painful.
About an hour or so ago, a community meeting about the power outages, featuring a PG&E representative, wrapped up in East Palo Alto. A special thank you to East Palo Alto Mayor Lisa Gauthier, Assemblymember Diane Papan, Senator Josh Becker, Supervisor Warren Slocum and the San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management, for hosting the event.
At the meeting, PG&E listened to feedback from residents and elected officials, about the impacts felt during the two recent extended outages. Since all, or at least most of you know what it was like during the outages this past month, you can probably figure out the types of comments that were made (ineffective/lack of communication, unclear prioritization criteria, overall frustration, etc.).
In addition to listening, PG&E also shared the following information (please note that this is based on my notes, and if there are any inaccuracies, they are unintentional):
The recent outages have been the worst PG&E have experienced since 1995, with San Mateo County being hit the hardest.
1/6th of the total PG&E crew has been in San Mateo County to restore power.
Utility crews from other agencies, operating under joint service agreements, have been called in to help.
Prioritization criteria:
The largest outages, impacting the most customers
Those experiencing outages for the longest durations
Those locations housing critical facilities (hospitals, schools, etc.)
While the above criteria guides the decision making, the PG&E rep also stated that there are other factors (for example if one outage can be fixed quickly vs. another) that also are considered. The rep also said that the prioritization is more of an art than a science.
Assessments. In a major event PG&E crews are broken into 1-2 person teams. One of those teams must visit the site of an outage before any restoration activity can take place. Due to the widespread nature of the storms, and the demand for crew being much larger than the available crew, it has taken up to 24 hours before an initial assessment can be made.
In a normal outage (one utility pole goes down), power can often times be rerouted to an alternate power line, so that power is only temporarily down. In the case of the recent storms, the alternate power lines also went down and so typical back up protocol was unable to be implemented.
Communication. At the end of the meeting the PG&E representative issued a formal apology to residents on behalf of PG&E. The communication did not live up to expectations and was not ok. While they plan to do better, here is what they shared:
As mentioned above, it can take up to 24 hours in a major event to even make an assessment. Thus, the delay in providing an estimation.
The ongoing circumstances of the first storm (rain, rain and more rain), made it difficult to make repairs, thus pushing out and changing restoration times.
There is a difference between the "global restoration time" (when everyone in a service area gets their power back) and an individual's power restoration time. It wasn't completely clear to me if they thought it was better to let people know the worst case scenario about the whole area (and have them be "pleasantly" surprised) or to give them a more hopeful estimate. They have definitely heard from residents and elected leaders (myself included) that they must provide information to let people make plans.
And more.
Please know that I am eager to see what PG&E does with all of the feedback it received, to improve its service and do better overall. Words and information are great, but if it's not supported by action, it's meaningless. I will do my part to serve as a partner with PG&E, and to do what we can, on the City's side, to become a more resilient community.
Warmly,
P.S. Another storm is coming early next week. Please continue to monitor weather conditions.
P.P.S. Below is the latest update from the City of Menlo Park - from 3:48pm today (3/16/23). Please note that as I write this email at 9:30pm, the information about the status of the outages in Menlo Park is already outdated.
Official Update from the City of Menlo Park
As of 3:48pm on 3/16/23
PG&E reports that they are down to less than 1,500 Menlo Park customers without power as of this afternoon and that they are prioritizing schools and critical infrastructure as they work to restore power. PG&E states that some electrical circuits have suffered tremendous damage and require extensive repairs that have taken longer than expected. Throughout San Mateo County, they say they are down to less than 10,000 customers without power (down from a peak of 67,000 customers) and that they have 81 crews dispatched throughout the county today. A power outage in the west part of the city is affecting a stormwater pump station and as we prepare for the possibility of additional rain later this weekend and into next week, we are monitoring the system and plan to deploy a generator for backup power if needed.
PG&E Safety Net program
Residential customers may qualify for PG&E's Safety Net program which offers payments to residential customers who are without power for more than 48 hours due to a severe events, like storms (as determined by PG&E). The Safety Net program, pays $25 to $100 automatically 60 to 120 days after the outage. The amount may depend on the outage length.
Menlo Park one-night hotel stay reimbursement policy for PG&E power outages
The City of Menlo Park has updated its policy for one-night hotel stay reimbursements related to extended PG&E power outages for this outage event. Please review the policy changes. Qualifying reimbursement requests can be submitted online via the hotel reimbursement request form by 5 p.m., Friday, March 31, 2023.
City crews have received a dozen new calls in the last 24 hours (nearly 90 calls for this entire storm event) with most being related to trees. They continue to work on cleanup efforts throughout the city to ensure streets remain open. The Nealon Park parking lot is open and accessible despite several large eucalyptus trees coming down during the storm and damaging fencing and blocking entry to the lot and Little House at one point.
Street sweeping
Ahead of rains this weekend and next week, street sweeping will be important as we want to clear additional debris to allow water to flow freely. All residents are encouraged to move vehicles off the street and away from the curb ahead on your street sweeping day this week to allow street sweepers to remove as much debris (leaves, small branches, etc.) as possible over the next week.
The City is tracking a few remaining street closures and signal outages (view the Zonehaven map). Please continue to exercise caution when approaching any intersection with flashing signals or signals that are out, and treat these as an all-way stop.
Menlo Park libraries open for those who need to recharge
Dozens of residents have taken advantage of Menlo Park's libraries during the latest storm and outage events.
For those without power or needing a place to recharge, Menlo Park libraries will remain open until 8 p.m., Thursday, March 16, and reopen again at 10 a.m., Friday, March 17. These facilities are climate-controlled and offer seating, reading materials, laptop computers, places to charge mobile devices, and public access internet and Wi-Fi. Visit menlopark.gov/library or call 650-330-2520.
Avoid unstable creek banks; soil can collapse unexpectedly
Saturated soils along the banks of San Francisquito Creek along Woodland Avenue continue to make creek banks unstable and hazardous. Additional areas along the entire length of the creek banks may pose hazards, so please observe the creek from a safe distance and monitor creek levels online at menlopark.gov/creeklevels.
Monitor San Francisquito Creek water levels online, visit the creek monitor site from the City of Palo Alto.
Monitor the Atherton Channel, check the Atherton Channel sensor on the OneShoreline website.
Report issues promptly
For blocked storm drains, sink holes, landslides, levee damage and fallen trees, call Public Works at 650-330-6780 weekdays from 7 a.m.–4 p.m. and at 650-330-6300 after-hours.
For power outages and gas leaks, call PG&E at 1-800-743-5000 and check their outage center map online. For anyone experiencing power outages, learn about PG&E's hotel discounts (PDF) for extended outages.
For sewer problems, call West Bay Sanitary District at 650-321-0384.
Please do not call 9-1-1 unless there is an imminent threat to life or other serious emergency. For general questions consider texting the city at 650-679-7022.
