Public Safety Power Shutoff

You can expect to hear from us at regular intervals:

• 4-7 days ahead: When we see extreme weather forecasts, we begin planning up to a week in advance. Please consult our weather awareness map for a seven-day weather forecast.
• 3 days ahead: We send initial notifications about a possible power shutoff to local and tribal governments, emergency officials, first responders, hospitals, and other critical infrastructure and service providers. We post advance information to the Public Safety Partner portal and show affected areas and resources on the Outage Map.
• 2 days ahead: We send initial notifications to customers, and notification updates to local governments and agencies.
• 1 day ahead: We send updated timing information to all customers.
• 0-4 hours ahead: Whenever possible we send notifications that power is likely to be shut off.
• Please note: Erratic or sudden onset of weather conditions may affect our ability to provide advance notice to customers.

Once a safety shutoff is in progress, you can expect to receive these notifications:

• Power shutoff: We’ll inform you when power has been shut off.
• Preparing to Restore Power: We will let you know when field crews have begun to inspect our lines to determine whether it is safe to restore power.
• Power restoration: We’ll inform you when power has been restored, at which time our Outage Map will reflect your all-clear status.
• PSPS all-clear: We’ll also inform you about which circuits are no longer being considered for PSPS

Please note: Certain situations may prevent SCE from providing advance notice to customers. Other notifications may occur as needed to keep customers informed.

We intend to notify affected customers approximately two days in advance of a potential power shutoff. This notification will be sent via email, text, or phone call. We may also send another notice to customers one day before a potential power shutoff. We will keep customers updated regularly on our website and social media channels. We will also notify affected customers when power has been restored. SCE customers can sign up for PSPS alerts in English and other available languages at sce.com/pspsalerts

Each of California’s investor-owned utilities determines when a PSPS is called and how it will be implemented. California’s three largest utilities, at the direction of the California Public Utilities Commission, coordinate to prepare all Californians for the threat of wildfires and power outages during times of extreme weather. Find more information about this statewide effort at prepareforpowerdown.com.

Strong winds combined with dry ground conditions can increase wildfire threat. These same winds can cause vegetation or other items to blow into power lines and could result in an ignition, possibly creating a significant wildfire. Under these situations, we may shut off power to customers to keep you and your community safe. SCE considers a number of factors and conditions before declaring a PSPS, including but are not limited to:

• High winds
• Low humidity
• Dry vegetation that could serve as fuel
• On-the-ground observations
• Fire threat to electric infrastructure
• Public-safety risk

Customers who live in high fire risk areas are more likely to experience a PSPS. However, customers who do not live in high-fire-risk areas may also be affected because of how the electrical grid is interconnected. SCE has a network of circuits providing power to 15 million people within a 50,000-square-mile area of central, coastal, and Southern California. Anyone in California could be affected by emergency events such as safety shutoffs and needs to be prepared with a plan.

SCE customers should update their contact information and sign up for PSPS alerts at sce.com/pspsalerts.