PG&E says all affected PSPS customers have power

SONOMA, Calif. - Pacific Gas and Electric said Friday evening that power has been restored to all customers who receive service who were impacted by the most recent Public Safety Power Shutoff.

The power shutoff, or PSPS, affected approximately 41,000 
customers in 24 counties, including Alameda, Contra Costa, Napa, San Mateo, Santa Clara, Solano and Sonoma counties in the Bay Area. 

The lights and AC are back on after many were de-energized on Wednesday. This PSPS event was especially difficult in the middle of a mini heat wave.

The heat plus high winds, bring back harsh memories for some here in Sonoma County.

"In 2017, the house next door to us burned down. And this one, friends of ours up in Alamos lost their house. So we know that it's a tinderbox. We're just the tinder box," says Joanna, who lives just east of Sonoma.

And so she says PG&E's Public Safety Power Shut Off didn't seem so bad by comparison.

"It was pretty decent. I actually stayed out of the house during the day and came back at night so by then it started to cool off. So yeah we're lucky," she says.

The utility said their inspections confirmed at least 30 instances of damages or hazards to electrical equipment during the strong wind event. 

With peak wind gusts Wednesday reaching 65 miles an hour.

Places like Alameda, Contra Costa, and Santa Cruz counties were first to be restored.

Sonoma County, by mid afternoon, was more than halfway there.

"You have an inspector and a lineman and a crew basically going inch by inch along those lines, making sure there isn't any damage. And then we have helicopters, eyes in the sky, also doing inspections on those lines," says Deanna Contreras, a PG&E spokesperson.

Still, while the winds have abated, the heat hasn't yet.

"I mean it's hot. It makes it really hard to be outside, especially with the kids," says resident Yoani Ismond.

It's left residents and business owners looking for shade.

At B&V's Whiskey Bar and Grille, they've got a spot ready for those looking to leave their hot homes and have a cool drink.

Still its hard on staff.

"You've got to think about keeping people on during it and making sure they're taken care of. Basically our staff is getting cooled down cause being out here it's kinda difficult. Thank god we have this shade over here," says the establishment's owner, Codi Binkley.

Bay City News contributed to this story.