SCE Crews on Alert for Holiday Storm

Widespread rain, mountain snow and scattered thunderstorms are moving into Southern California Edison's service area Friday night through Sunday, according to SCE's meteorological team forecasts. Crews are being prepared to respond quickly in case of power outages.

"We are ensuring that our staffing plans are robust and leaning in to quickly resolve any outages caused by the storm," said Thomas Jacobus, SCE principal manager of Business Resiliency.

The Lake Arrowhead area is expected to receive six to 12 inches of wet snow while Southern California mountain areas above 6,000 feet, Shaver Lake and Mammoth Lakes, could receive one to two feet of snow. There is significant uncertainty with the forecast, and locally higher snowfall accumulations are possible.

SCE deploys snowcats to conduct repair equipment damaged by heavy snow. PHOTO CREDIT: Steven Schimpf

"One of the main areas of concern is Arrowhead because of the limited number of access points for our crews and the impacts from the wet, heavy snow," said Andrew Peterson, SCE's storm chief. "The good news is that three extra crews are already in the area through the weekend on non-critical work, so they are well-positioned to deal with any impacts."

Wind advisories have been issued for most desert regions and some coastal areas.

SCE reminds customers never to touch or approach a downed wire, always stay at least 100 feet away and call 911 immediately. Here are some additional safety tips:

• Never try to remove a broken tree limb or branch that has come in contact with a power line.
• Install surge protectors to help safeguard valuable electronic equipment, such as computers and home entertainment systems.
• If you have an automatic garage door or gate, learn to open it manually (without power).
• Check your vehicle's wiper blades and tire tread, use caution when driving and do not enter flooded areas. Contact your city or county emergency services offices for flood preparation and sandbag locations.
• Make a safety preparedness plan for your family that includes a list and location of emergency items such as water bottles, flashlights, first-aid kits, extra blankets, etc.
• Be prepared to meet the unique needs of infants, elderly or disabled family members. Also, plan how you will care for any pets.

To check on the status of an outage or report an outage, visit sce.com/outagemap.

For more information about SCE's commitment to safety, sce.com/safety.