BREAKING NEWS: High Winds; Southern California Power Outage Update
On Thursday, December 1, 2011 The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power (LADWP) reported that approximately 130,000 of its 1.4 million electric customers are without power as high winds continue to cause outages in several neighborhoods.
Approximately 127,000 of these customers are located in the Los Angeles Metro Area and the remaining 3,000 are in the San Fernando Valley. Power has already been restored to more than 80,000 customers since the wind storm began last night.
LADWP currently has over 100 crews responding to over 1,000 separate incidents and has called in crews from out of state and from other remote areas in the State of California to assist in restoration efforts.
LADWP crews are working in extremely dangerous conditions to restore power and are working as quickly and safely as possible to do so. At this time, the current estimated time of restoration for customers experiencing outages is 24 – 48 hours. Many customers will experience shorter outages, but customers experiencing outages should be prepared for up to 24 – 48 hours. LADWP asks for the patience of our customers as we work around the clock to restore service during this major wind storm.
The following areas and neighborhoods have the highest number of customers impacted:
SOUTH
South Los Angeles: 6,500
Green Meadows: 5,500
Baldwin Hills/Crenshaw: 2,400
CENTRAL/DOWNTOWN
East Hollywood: 7,500
Hollywood Hills: 5,300
Los Feliz: 5,100
Hollywood: 4,400
Chinatown: 1,700
EASTSIDE/NORTHEAST
Highland Park: 12,800
El Sereno: 11,300
Glassell Park: 9,800
Cypress Park: 9,300
Eagle Rock: 2,800
Griffith Park: 5,200
Boyle Heights: 3,800
Lincoln Heights: 3,000
VALLEY
Van Nuys – 2,100
LADWP strongly encourages the public to be vigilant and cautious to stay safe during this storm. Stay away from any downed power lines and poles as well as downed trees and limbs, and protect children home from school today from the same. Beware of traffic signals that may be affected by power outage and proceed with extreme caution. Allow access for uniformed LADWP crews, all of whom carry Department-issued identification cards, so they may service infrastructure in need of repair.
In the event of a power outage:
- Stay calm.
- Have a flashlight and extra batteries nearby. Don’t use candles in a power outage.
- Turn off lights but leave one light turned on so you will know when your service is restored.
- Turn off and unplug appliances and other electrical equipment. Unplug heat-producing items like irons and space heaters. This helps prevent circuit overloading, which could delay restoration of service.
- Call us and report your outage at 1-800-DIAL DWP (1-800-342-5397).
If you encounter a downed power line:
- Report any downed power lines immediately by calling the LADWP at 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397). If you or someone else is in danger, call 911.
- Do not touch a downed or dangling wire or anyone or anything in contact with it. Always assume a downed line is still energized.
- If a power line falls on your car, stay in the car and wait for help. If you must get out, make sure you do not touch the metal parts of the car and the ground at the same time. The safest exit method is to open the door, stand on the door sill and jump free without touching the car.
- Stay away from metal fences, such as chain link fence, as there may be a power line down and touching the fence somewhere beyond your sight.
- If there is damage to the connection from the power pole to your house, you should go to the electrical box and turn off the main switch or shut off the fuse switch. Again, always assume electric lines are live.
- In case of an electrical emergency, stay calm and think before you act. Don’t become a victim while trying to help others. Call 911.
- If someone is shocked or not breathing, apply cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR.) Then cover the victim with a blanket, keep their head low and get medical attention.
Source: LADWP Public Affairs
Photo credit to: LADWP Public Affairs
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