‘Worst That I’ve Seen’: PG&E Faces Unprecedented Challenges To Get Power Back In Foothills

2 years ago 374

(FORESTHILL) — Adam Wright, the enforcement vice president of operations and main operations serviceman for Pacific Gas and Electric, says the harm caused by the recent, record-setting snowfall tempest successful the Sierra Foothills is the worst he’s seen.

In a property league Friday, Wright said thousands of employees were moving astir the timepiece to get powerfulness backmost to astir 36,000 customers successful the area. He said crews were facing unprecedented conditions moving to repair 5,000 abstracted locations with damage.

“I haven’t seen harm similar this successful my clip successful the inferior assemblage which is implicit 2 decades,” Wright said.

While the portion is utilized to snow, the trees seemed to acceptable this tempest apart.

“Kind of a one-two punch,” says Dave Atkinson, adjunct manager of the Placer County Office of Emergency Services.

He told CBS13 that due to the fact that of a deficiency of snowfall successful past years, trees didn’t physique a absorption for the snow. That, on with precocious winds earlier the storm, near trees without a warring chance.

CBS13 asked PG&E however the institution would forestall a powerfulness outage similar this from happening again. Joe Wilson, PG&E Regional Vice President, referenced a program announced earlier this twelvemonth to underground 10,000 miles of electrical distribution.

“Many of those miles volition beryllium successful these areas we are restoring,” Wilson said.

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Until then, enactment continues to get the powerfulness backmost connected for those successful the Foothills. PG&E says successful the Northern Sierra region, 10% should beryllium backmost connected by Sunday, 30% should beryllium backmost connected by January 5th. For customers successful the much inaccessible areas, it could inactive beryllium weeks.