Officials with PG&E said they would be shutting off power as the strong winds rolled through to help prevent wildfires.
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"We did that to prevent the risk of a wildfire starting in that area," says PG&E Spokesman Denny Boyles. "Even with the recent rain, we had just the dry conditions and the drought we had, observations on ground led us to believe that there was still that risk of fire
starting over there."
The planned shutoffs began Monday morning and lasted more than 24 hours for some residents.
People living on the western side of the Central Valley, including rural areas of Coalinga, Avenal and Los Banos, were still impacted on Tuesday.
The utility company's website showed small outages scattered across the Valley, as far north as Merced down south to Corcoran. A few larger outages were reported near Tollhouse and east of Orange Cove.
Click here to find the latest information on outages near you.
If you will be impacted, PG&E issued these tips to keep in mind:
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- Use a cell phone or hard-wired phone. Cordless phones do not work without electricity.
- Use battery-operated flashlights, not candles, which may pose a fire hazard.
- Unplug or turn off all electric and heat-producing appliances (e.g., air conditioners, washers and dryers, ovens, stoves, irons) to avoid overloading circuits. Overloaded circuits can be a fire hazard once power is restored.
- Unplug televisions and computers that were in use when the power went out.
- Leave a single lamp on to alert you when power returns.
- Keep refrigerator and freezer doors closed, and place extra containers of ice inside to preserve food. A full freezer will remain colder longer.
- Notify your alarm company if you have an alarm system. Equipment can be affected by outages.
- Turn your appliances back on one at a time when conditions return to normal.
- Reset clocks, thermostats and other programmed equipment after power is restored.
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