What is a Public Safety Power Shut-Off (PSPS)? A PSPS occurs when an electricity company, such as PG&E, turns off power to specific areas in order to reduce risk of wildfires that could occur from severe weather, such as high winds, impacting the power lines. To learn more about PSPS events and what to expect during an event, see PG&E’s Outage Timeline map here.

PG&E can generally predict severe weather that might require a PSPS, and issues warnings or watch notifications up to two days ahead of time if your address will be affected. PG&E will also send a series of other notifications to provide you information during a PSPS event, including a “power is off” notification when your power is actively off, a “weather all clear” notification to indicate the severe weather has passed and power lines are being inspected, a “estimated restoration time” for the power in your home, and finally, a notification that power has been restored. 

Consumers who are signed up for PG&E’s Medical Baseline program may receive additional notifications, which might include an additional phone calls or a door-bell ring to ensure you’re aware of an impending PSPS event and can prepare to stay safe.

Click here to sign up for PSPS alerts with your address.