SCE | Emergency Preparedness & Public Safety Power Shutoffs

Climate change is increasing the severity and duration of fire season, as well as the frequency of catastrophic fires across California. During elevated weather conditions when there is a high risk for wildfire, SCE may temporarily shut off power to prevent their electric system from becoming the source of an ignition. These temporary shutoffs are more formally known as Public Safety Power Shutoffs or PSPS. Learn more about our decision-making process and how to stay prepared.

PSPS Decision Process
SCE understands the impact that turning off power can have on customers. They use several tools to monitor conditions before shutting off a circuit, such as weather stations, vegetation moisture sampling data, fire danger indexes and high-performance computing technology.

Learn how SCE meteorologists run computerized weather simulations of expected conditions, looking at more than 80 variables like temperature, projected wind speed and relative humidity.

Stay Safe. Be Prepared
An emergency can happen at any time. Staying prepared can keep you and your loved ones safe. Keep necessities on hand — from medical prescriptions to canned goods. It’s the first step in being ready for an emergency. Keep a supply of essentials in an easily-accessible location, so you’ll be able to get to them quickly, even in the dark.

Essentials can be: batteries, flashlights, and first-aid supplies! Get a checklist of items to keep in your emergency supply kit and more information on backup generation here.

Steps to Follow:
1.  PSPS Alerts: Sign up for alerts so you know when a Public Safety Power Shutoff may occur and when your power is restored.
2.  Emergency Preparedness: Learn how you can be better prepared for unexpected outages and other emergencies.
3.  Customer Care Programs: Take advantage of programs and services that can help you prepare for a PSPS.