From Mammoth Lakes Police Department
Monday night
Police Power remains down in Mono County. Here is the latest information as of 8:00pm Monday: Southern California Edison Crews will be here early Tuesday morning to start site inspections as the “weather” event subsides. SCE wants to ensure that power lines are not caught on tree limbs or otherwise compromised. Power will be restored to critical areas first such as the hospital, public agencies and schools. There is a possibility that some areas may be out until Wednesday. Please do not hesitate to call 911 or Mono County Dispatch at 760-932-7549, Option 7 if you need assistance.
From Mono County Sheriff’s Department
The power is out throughout most of Mono County. Due to high fire danger, a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) has been initiated by Southern California Edison (SCE). The duration of the outage is not known at this time.
9-1-1 is still operational, as are most cell phones. Additional resources can be found at monocounty.ca.gov. We will provide updates as they become available.
From Mammoth Hospital
We’ve just received word that the current power outage in the Mammoth area should be expected until tomorrow morning.
We want to inform our residents and guests that we are currently capable of seeing all emergency patients, but will be closed for clinics at this time. We will continue to post updates as we receive more information.
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From SCE
Here is the SCE statement on today’s power shutoffs:

The safety of our communities is paramount and because there is an elevated risk of fire, SCE initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS), de-energizing power at 1 p.m. in parts of our service territory:

o          Inyo County (715)

Unincorporated areas including the communities of Aspendell, Round Valley, near Silver Canyon and west Bishop

o          Mono County (13,809)

o          Mammoth Lakes and unincorporated areas including the communities of Benton, Benton Hotsprings, Lake Mary, Owens Valley, Toms Place, Swall Meadow, Willow Springs and from Rush Creek to Agnew Lake, near Lee Vining, and near Tuolumne Meadows

We shut off power to a total of 14,524 customers as a precautionary measure to mitigate the fire risk. We understand these PSPS actions are disruptive to our customers and communities and we do not take these decisions lightly. We will restore power to these customers as soon as conditions permit and crews have inspected the lines to confirm that it is safe to re-energize.

For additional PSPS background information, please refer to the documents in the links below:

Power Outage Safety Tips

  • If you see a downed power line, do not touch it or anything in contact with it. Call 911 immediately.
  • Power outages in the area may impact traffic signals so motorists should use extreme caution and treat all intersections as four-way-stops.
  • Remember to check emergency supplies to be sure you have a battery-operated radio, a flashlight and fresh batteries.
  • Use flashlights instead of candles to avoid fire hazards in your home or business.
  • If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle and landing with both feet together. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling and not picking up your feet until you are several yards away.
  • If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “back-feed,” which is dangerous to repair crews. Please consult the manufacturer’s manual for operating the generator.

From Mammoth Lakes Tourism

As I’m sure you have noticed, there is currently a power shut off around Mammoth Lakes. According to Southern California Edison, this is part of their Public Safety Power Shutoff. There are 28 circuits in Mono County and they are all subject to this PSPS.  A couple of things to note about the re-energizing process:
  1. They won’t re-energize until the sun comes up and an SCE rep has their eyes on all the lines to make sure there are no tree branches fallen over, etc. SCE would hate to have an instance where they re-energize and then end up starting a fire anyway.
  2. Once weather conditions improve is when they will start the steps for re-energizing. Our red flag warning goes into this evening, so there is a strong chance this will be going to last through the night so please be prepared for all possibilities.
  3. SCE offices are currently ordering extra crews for the area so that once the re-energizing process is ok-ed, they can move quickly to get things restored.

More information on the Mono County Sheriff Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/pg/MonoSheriff/posts/

We hope this email finds you well. Please stay safe and warm this evening! If you have any questions, please contact Southern California Edison  1-800-655-4555.

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From Caltrans

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is notifying residents of a Public Safety Power Outage in Mono and Inyo County. Southern California Edison has de-energized approximately 32 circuits in the two counties, affecting 14,524 customers. The power outage is due to a weather event and could be expanded to Kern County if it persists.

Due to the power outage, traffic signals may not be working as programmed and have gone dark. Caltrans would like to remind motorists if they encounter a traffic signal without power, to treat the intersection as an all-way stop.

The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) would like to notify the traveling public of a rest area closure in Mono County. Due to a Public Safety Power Shutdown, Caltrans has closed the Crestview Rest Area, located seven miles north of the U.S. Highway 395/State Route 203 interchange.

While it is closed, motorists will still be able to access the parking lot at the rest area. However, facilities at the rest area have been closed and locked. The Crestview Rest Area will reopen only after Southern California Edison has ended the Public Safety Power Shutdown.

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High-profile vehicle prohibition

Inyo and Mono Counties- The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has announced a high-profile prohibition on U.S. Hwy 395 between Bishop and the California/Nevada state line due to high winds. U.S. Hwy 6 is the recommended detour route.  Travel is prohibited for campers, trailers or permit loads.

 

Caltrans and other agencies are busy keeping the traveling public safe on our roads. Debris and sand, blown by winds can pose a significant threat on the roadway. The traveling public is advised to drastically slow down and proceed with caution.

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For the latest highway information please visit the Caltrans QuickMap site at quickmap.dot.ca.gov or call the Road Condition Hotline at 1-800-427-ROAD (7623).

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www.dot.ca.gov

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From MCWD

Mammoth Lakes, California – September 16, 2019 –SCE initiated a Public Safety Power Shutoff for Mammoth Lakes and throughout Mono County due to adverse weather conditions that may create the potential for elevated fire risk.

The Mammoth Community Water District (MCWD) will provide water and sewer service throughout the SCE power outage. MCWD is presently utilizing our emergency generation equipment throughout the service boundary, including sewer service in the Lakes Basin.

As a reminder, hot water is dependent on the customer’s water heater. If you have any water or sewer interruptions, please contact MCWD at 760-934-2596.

 

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