Public Safety Power Shut-Off Tips – City of San Jose Office
of Emergency Management July 2019
- Sign up to receive power shutoff notifications
from PG&E or make sure your contact info is up-to-date by visiting
http://www.pge.com/psps orcalling PG&E at 1-866-743-6589.
- Prepare an emergency kit that will last at least
5 days with the following items:
•Water – water treatment and/or pumping may not work in a
power outage, so have adequate water supplies on hand. Store at least 1 gallon
of water per day for each person and each pet:
https://www.cdc.gov/healthywater/emergency/drinking/creating-storing-emergency-water-suppl
y.html.
•Food – have enough non-perishable food on hand and be aware
of PG&E and USDA food safety tips regarding refrigerated and frozen food:
•Fully stocked freezers usually keep food frozen for two
days after losing power (if not repeatedly opened).
•Half-full freezers usually keep food frozen for about one
day (if not repeatedly opened).
•Refrigerators usually keep food cold for up to four hours
if the door remains unopened.
•Keep an appliance thermometer in the refrigerator and
freezer. If the food still contains ice crystals or is at 40oFor below, the
food is safe.
•When in doubt, throw it out.
•Radio – during a power outage, cell phone service is not
guaranteed. Having a radio (battery-powered, solar-powered, or hand crank) will
ensure you can access notifications and safety information
•First aid and medication – account for all first aid and
medication needs, including medication that has to be refrigerated
•Sanitary wipes or hand sanitizer – tap water may not be
safe during an outage
•Batteries – multiple types to power flashlights, radios,
and other emergency equipment
•Flashlight and fans – get solar or battery powered
flashlights or lanterns.
•Phone charger – solar-powered phone chargers or portable
batteries
•Method for food preparation – get a manual can-opener, or
if you have a barbeque, prepare extra charcoal or propane for cooking
•N95 masks – during an outage, generator usage will
increase, resulting in increased local air pollution
3. Consider backup power sources:
1.If you have
a generator, please keep your family safe by followingsafety tips. Do not
operate it inside or near dry fuel, such as on top of grass. Prior to an
outage, check to make sure it’s functioning on a regular basis. Have fuel on
hand as gas stations may not work.
2.Solar panels
will not work during an outage unless you have a special inverter or battery
storage.
4. Prepare and practice an emergency plan that accounts for
all family members and pets and considers the following:
•Cash on hand – ATMs may not work during an outage
•Full tank of gas in your car – gas stations may not work
during an outage
•Phone numbers – write down key phone numbers in case your
cell phone runs out of power. California law requires land lines to have at
least a few hours of backup power.
•911 – call 911 only for emergencies, not to get information
•Garage door – know how to open it manually
•If you live in an apartment or condo: talk with your
building manager if you live or work in a building that has elevators or
electronic key card access to understand how they will deal with a possible
multi-day outage.
•Family reunification – establish a meet up point in case of
no cell reception
•Shelter in place – officials will likely ask you to shelter
in place if you can. Note that traffic signals will not work, resulting in
congested traffic
5. During an outage
1.Unplug or turn off appliances, equipment and electronics
to avoid damage caused by surges when the power is restored
2.Leave a single lamp on to alert you when the power returns.
Then, turn your appliances on, one at a time
3.Do not use a gas stove for heat
4.Check the status of the outage at
https://m.pge.com/#outages orby listening to the radio. PG&E has said it
will send customers updates. Follow @CityofSanJose on Twitter, Facebook, or
Nextdoor for secondary notifications.
Japantown Community Congress 