San Diego Gas & Electric on Thursday lowered the number of customers who may be affected by the potential outages because of fire risks.
SDG&E may shut off power to 17,771 customers, down from the 30,000 customers announced Wednesday because of weather conditions that could pose a danger to power lines and increase the risk of wildfires.
AFFECTED COMMUNITIES:
– Banner Grade
– Boulevard
– Campo
– Descanso
– East Alpine
– Ramona
– Fallbrook
– Julian
– Mesa Grande
– Mt Laguna
– Oak Grove
– Palomar Mountain
– Pine Valley
– Potrero
– Rincon
– Santa Ysabel
– Valley Center
– Viejas
– Warner Springs
– Wynola
The outages could impact up to 20 local communities, according to the utility.
The National Weather Service on Wednesday issued a red flag warning because of low humidity conditions and forecasts of gusty winds.
The warning is in effect from noon Thursday to 6 p.m. Friday in parts of the East and North County.
Starting Thursday night and into Friday morning, the San Diego County mountains and valleys could get winds upwards of 50 mph. That's around when SDG&E said it may start shutting off power.
RELATED: Millions Face Power Outages Across Northern, Central California
People in the affected areas, such as Ramona, have been warned about the potential shut off and have been preparing for the worst.
"We got a lot of calls today and a lot of calls yesterday because they sent out the warnings," said Jim Piva, owner of Piva Equipment Services. "And everyone goes, 'How many generators do you have?' And we go, 'You know we have several generators and we don't have enough to supply the need."
He said even the two other equipment rental companies in Ramona don't have enough generators to meet the demands.
"It's just one of those things that's the new reality," he said. "I think people are adapting to it but they're not there yet and that's why the panic and the phone calls we get. It's more of a panic. They're really worried."
Robert Bradley from Ramona's Family Naturals Market said he received a warning from the county Health and Human Services Department to make sure his employees shut down food preparations if a blackout occurs.
"Everything gets backed up gets in the refrigerators and they don't get opened because they'll last 5-6 hours," he said. "Most everything will be okay."
SDG&E said people should monitor its website for updated warnings. These power shutoffs could grow or shrink, the utility said.
Those with medical devices that run on electricity are also advised to prepare emergency plans.
