Alembic Guitars Club

Connecting => Miscellaneous => Topic started by: mica on October 25, 2019, 06:39:53 PM

Title: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 25, 2019, 06:39:53 PM
Looks like it's time again! Tomorrow at ~1pm much of Sonoma County will be subject to the power shutoff. They say if could last through Monday, so we'll just have to wait and see. The winds are supposed to as high or higher than the ones we had 2 years ago when the Tubbs fire ripped through over 5K houses and almost 1K commercial buildings.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-16-19
Post by: lbpesq on October 25, 2019, 07:06:13 PM
Mica, old thread name!  Yesterday (10-24-19) they told us the power may be shut off in “36-48 hours”.  Today, (10-25-19), the PG&E website is still saying “36-48 hours”.  Last time we had at least a half dozen false alarms from PG&E, and when they finally did turn the power off, it was an hour earlier than the time they had announced.  So we’ll be playing the waiting game, generator and extension cords at the ready.  Good luck to everyone and NO FIRES!

Bill, the generator one
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 25, 2019, 07:34:39 PM
Typo fixed. 

We've already got a fire up in Geyserville (https://www.sonomanews.com/home/a1/10215511-181/live-map-kincade-fire-near), likely caused by high voltage lines downed during the last Planned Public Safety Shutoff (they kept the high voltage wires live to bring power to some places). The smoke is very bad.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 26, 2019, 03:09:19 AM
 :( ... y'all stay safe out there.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: rv_bass on October 26, 2019, 06:15:18 AM
Hoping for the best for you all. 
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: xlrogue6 on October 26, 2019, 10:22:59 AM
Yesterday the PG&E site said I'd be part of the shutoff. This morning I'm off the list--hope it stays that way!
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: StephenR on October 26, 2019, 10:45:32 AM
They seem to be a bit behind updating the projected shut-off areas so still not sure if we are going to be impacted this time. We were right on the edge of the zone where power was turned off during the last incident and managed to squeak by.  Apparently they have now announced evacuation orders for Healdsburg and Windsor, towns along the 101 corridor. The expected 60-80 mph winds up north may quickly increase the size of the Kincaid Fire with the potential for it to spread southwest into those areas. It was windy here in Oakland yesterday morning but calm so far today. Hope everyone in the affected areas stays safe and the shut-offs aren't as widespread as originally planned.



 
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: David Houck on October 26, 2019, 01:29:31 PM
Hoping everyone is able to stay safe, and that the winds die down soon.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 26, 2019, 04:47:01 PM
We've got a fire north of us that has mandatory evacuations for Healdsberg and Windsor. There's warnings for potential evacuations from Sebastopol to Bodega at the coast. Power loss to start at 5:00
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: lbpesq on October 26, 2019, 04:53:10 PM
Last PG&E update was 10:30 this morning stating we might have power shut off in next 12 hours.  No updates since.  Completely calm - no wind - here at the top of the East Bay Hills.  News reports say winds will come up tonight.

Bill, tgo
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: StephenR on October 26, 2019, 05:09:59 PM
Still not windy in Oakland, we have gotten three text alerts from PG&E in the last 24 hours, all of them were worded the same way and were warnings that our power may be shut off, no details about when in any of them.
Are you in the evacuation zone Mica?
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: pauldo on October 26, 2019, 06:16:39 PM
Jeepers!
Wishing the best for all out there.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 26, 2019, 09:08:45 PM
No Steve, we are not in the evacuation zone as of yet, but we're a destination friends that have. The winds are expected to blow toward the ocean, and that is where the newest evacuations are. The potential evacuations I listed earlier are now mandatory. The winds are still mild at our house and Alembic (only a few miles apart), and they are blowing toward the fire for now. Overnight the real strong winds are expected to pick up. As long as we have power, I'll post updates here.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: lbpesq on October 26, 2019, 10:18:30 PM
Power went out a few minutes ago.  It’s like the whole county is camping! 

Bill, tgo
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 27, 2019, 02:58:45 AM
Just had the winds pick up.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 27, 2019, 04:24:57 AM
😬 Traveling to Carolina today, but will be keeping watchful eyes on things out there. Hunker down.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: David Houck on October 27, 2019, 04:50:11 AM
Hope everyone is doing okay this morning.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: JimmyJ on October 27, 2019, 08:38:53 AM
If I'm reading this map correctly, this morning the Wickersham's neighborhood has had their power cut and the mandatory evacuation zone is now within a mile of the factory.  We hope this "wind event" doesn't become as severe as predicted and everybody gets through this unscathed.


Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: FC Bass on October 27, 2019, 09:43:56 AM
Also just looked at that map, scary stuff... :-(

Stay safe over there!

Link to map: https://abc7news.com/map-kincade-fire-burn-zone-areas-under-evacuation/5649869/
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: edwin on October 27, 2019, 11:15:32 AM
I just read the news from here in Venezia. Prayers for safety heading your way. Much love and support to an in the path.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: StephenR on October 27, 2019, 02:08:20 PM
Jen and I are currently “Whole Foods” refugees. Power was cut for us at midnight. Lots of severe wind gusts around our house in the Oakland Hills this morning. At least we have a functional gas stove and water heater so cooking and washing isn’t an issue. Our friends in Guerneville are in the evacuation zone and staying with another friend in Cotati. Hadn’t heard about the fire in Vallejo that has shut the Cartinez Bridge and Hwy 80 in both directions.

So, far the endless build up to the “wind event” was more stressful than the actual loss of power.

Hope the whole Alembic family is safe and having a quiet, despite being unusual, Sunday.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 27, 2019, 04:58:59 PM
Still in the clear here. We have power at home Jimmy, as the maps aren't exactly aligned with reality (but the generator is on stand by since we're on a well), and power at Alembic as of a few minutes ago. The winds aren't supposed to be as high tonight, but there's a thick wall of smoke to the north and the west of us. We heard there were no injuries or deaths last night. School has been cancelled for tomorrow. We're all on standby to dash away if need be, but it's looking like we might be lucky again this year.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: rv_bass on October 27, 2019, 06:03:23 PM
Stay safe, hoping for the best for you all.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 27, 2019, 06:37:11 PM
Sounds reassuring... hoping for the best-case for the rest of our tribe out there. Been thinking about it all day today while traveling. Perfect metaphor for 'powerless'.  :-\
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: bigredbass on October 27, 2019, 06:43:28 PM
As someone who grew up on the Gulf Coast, watching similar maps and sweating out whether or not this was the hurricane that was going to get us, the waiting, indeed, IS the hardest part.

I pray for the best result for the Wickersham family and all the Alembic crew.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 28, 2019, 10:58:00 AM
While the fire is still burning, it’s been fought back from many residential areas. The evacuations while tedious have certainly helped save lives and keep the first responders focusing on fighting the fire rather than being overwhelmed with rescue. So far our extended Alembic family has remained safe.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: jwright9 on October 28, 2019, 11:23:48 AM
Last Monday, on the show Live Rescue, they were focusing on the fire in San Bernadino. It was absolutely remarkable to see first hand what the fire-fighters (police, and other first responders)  were dealing with.
This is a 2 hour show that focuses real time on first responders, it is usually a live feed. Nearly the entirety of last weeks episode was focused on the the work the Fire-fighters were doing in the San Bernardino fire.
This show is a spin off of Live PD on A&E. My wife and I have been hooked since we first watched a couple years ago.
Live PD is kind of like Cops except that it is Live and in real time for the most part. You get to see first hand what the police deal with on a day to day basis. Pretty remarkable and eye opening.
The show Live Rescue just started last year. Similar format but they follow first responders such as Paramedics, Fire-Fighters and EMS.
I highly recommend both shows.

Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: bazzer on October 28, 2019, 11:45:34 AM
My son works in Santa Rosa, and lives a little bit south in San Rafael. I spoke with him last night but he was in San Francisco at the time. I sent him a text this morning but have not received a reply. Just wondering if cell service is still available if there is no electricity in a given area.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: kenbass4 on October 28, 2019, 01:52:57 PM
I'm glad that the Alembic Family is safe through this ordeal. My sister and her family live in Santa Rosa, and she chose to leave on Saturday before the evacuations were issued, and they are now "camping out" at my other sister's house in Castro Valley. Fortunately my immediate family have been spared the power outages and narrowly escaped a fire evacuation in Oakley Sunday morning. We luckily had the wind blowing (Really Quickly) in our favor.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: keith_h on October 28, 2019, 07:01:32 PM
I was talking with my mom last night in Montana. I have a nephew who was going to get married this weekend in Sonoma County where his fiance's family live. My sister was flying in for it but the hotel told her not to come as they are under a mandatory evacuation. It sounds like the family and friends who live there aren't in harms way at this point but they have said like Mica that could change at any moment. 
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: lbpesq on October 28, 2019, 09:21:04 PM
Our power came back on about an hour ago.  There’s some talk that there may be more shut downs starting tomorrow, but at least we should have hot showers in the morning!  Sky VERY smokey.

Bill, tgo
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: David Houck on October 28, 2019, 09:56:37 PM
Thanks for the update Bill.  Thinking about you all.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: sonicus on October 29, 2019, 07:24:25 AM
I am joyous that the extended Alembic family and our friends here on this site thus far are reporting statements reflecting their safety . Love and Light to all of our folks here in this difficult segment of our lives .
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: cozmik_cowboy on October 29, 2019, 07:35:58 AM
Um, Bill?  Isn't the air above your place always very smoky?  ;)


Peter
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: StephenR on October 29, 2019, 01:22:39 PM
Our power came back on at 11:25 this morning (Tuesday), it had been out since midnight Saturday. It took over an hour, though, before Comcast was back on line. Glad to hear the Alembic crew up in the Santa Rosa area have been not only safe but haven't lost power or had to evacuate. Hope the rest of the local Alembicians get power back soon. Meanwhile it would be great if they can manage to put the Kincade fire out, or at least get it contained, and tonight's wind event doesn't create any more issues.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: moongerm on October 29, 2019, 06:29:53 PM
Just checking in, been thinking of the Alembic family. Good to see here that all is seemingly ok given the conditions. Hoping and praying it stays that way. Be safe out there. Much love...

-Brian
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: pauldo on October 29, 2019, 07:39:14 PM
+1 on everyone being safe!   :)

Listening to NPR the other day and nobody had anything pleasant to say about PG&E.
Hopefully in the wake of this there will be a focus on providing customers with safe and reliable power...
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: mica on October 30, 2019, 09:50:18 AM
Kincade fire is now at 30% containment. Looks like they did a great job protecting the neghborhoods, and the fire is largely up on the high ridges now. Winds were high last night, but not as high as the predicted range. They are letting people back in their homes in most of the evacuation areas. Thank goodness this wasn't a repeat of two years ago.
Not sure when we will have UPS service again, it was suspended during the fire. The schools will remain closed all week. There's still smoke in the air, and the fire's not out yet, but looks like  it should be soon.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: David Houck on October 30, 2019, 10:04:11 AM
Very good to hear; thank you for the update.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: jalevinemd on October 30, 2019, 11:21:43 AM
Glad you're safe.  :)
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 30, 2019, 01:12:07 PM
That's really great to hear.  8)
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: moongerm on October 31, 2019, 04:15:48 AM
😅🙏🙏
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: hammer on October 31, 2019, 05:55:09 AM
Glad to hear things are being contained and everyone is safe.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: xlrogue6 on October 31, 2019, 10:19:06 AM
Containment is up to 60% this AM, power is back on at my shop as of yesterday, had power and no evacuation at home. The good thing about no power at the shop is that while I couldn't fix anything (soldering iron doesn't work so well without AC), I got a bunch of long overdue cleaning and organization done in natural light. Great to see that lessons were learned from the 2017 fires, particularly in the early pre-emptive evacuations that made it possible to keep the fire out of urban areas for the most part. Now all we have to do is get PG&E to start properly maintaining their infrastructure.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: David Houck on October 31, 2019, 11:36:00 AM
Thanks for the update Kent.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: edwardofhuncote on October 31, 2019, 12:03:47 PM
Ironically, were under a high wind advisory here in Roanoke tonight might see 50-60 mph gusts; very little chance of fire though - it is pouring rain.


So glad to hear everyone in the California contingency is checking in safe and sound.
Title: Re: Public Safety Power Shutoff 10-26-19
Post by: David Houck on October 31, 2019, 01:10:02 PM
Very windy and pouring rain here as well.  There's a front blowing through; high today was 68, low overnight forecast to be 28.  40 degree drop.