Storm Watch: PG&E still working to restore power in Solano County
The utility has managed to drastically reduce the number of customers in the dark since Tuesday's storm, but some outages persist.
(Graphic by Solano NewsNet)
The number of customers without electricity following Tuesday and Wednesday’s storm dipped to just above 2,000 in Solano County, according to a review of Pacific Gas & Electric Company’s outage map by Solano NewsNet on Thursday.
The data reveals a significant improvement in PG&E’s ability to repair infrastructure and restore service since the wind and rain storm that toppled power poles, brought down trees and sheared power lines throughout the region.
At the height of the storm, more than 22,000 customers were without power, according to PG&E’s data. That number dropped to around 4,000 by Wednesday afternoon and further dropped to 2,300 by Wednesday evening.
PG&E has been working around-the-clock to get service restored to customers throughout Solano County and neighboring regions. But sustained rain has made their job difficult, and new power outages have been reported as the weakening storm continues to make an impact on the area.
As of Thursday evening, Fairfield had the most customers in the dark, with around 1,500 without electrical service, according to PG&E’s data. Some of those blackouts were in neighborhoods that were initially unaffected during the height of the storm, suggesting the outages were caused by new equipment failures brought on by sustained inclement weather.
A warming center was opened at the City Church in Fairfield on Wednesday for residents who needed shelter and electricity. Overnight, just two people took advantage of the center, according to public officials, with one visiting the church because they needed electrical service.
The warming center was supposed to run through Fairfield, but city officials said the church would keep it open as long as cold weather persists.
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