Police Chief + Fire Chief + Public Works Director Tell LB City Mgr. West in Memo For Mayor And Councilmembers That An "Emergency Action Plan" Will Be Put Into Effect "Given Significant Public Safety Concerns" From Magnitude Of Planned SCE Power Outage Sat Nite-Sunday Morning; SCE Says Much Of Its Work Will Be In SE LB And Residents/Busines In Areas Affected Are Being Notified In Advance
(Oct. 15, 2014, 9:01 p.m.) -- In a memo directed to City Manager West, the Mayor and Councilmembers, Long Beach Police Chief Jim McDonnell, Fire Chief Mike DuRee and Public Works Dir. Ara Maloyan say they plan to put an "Emergency Action Plan" into effect to deal with what they call "significant public safety concerns" from a large planned power outage by So. California Edison involving work mainly in southeast Long Beach on Saturday night into Sunday morning.
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SCE hasn't publicly released the exact footprint/locations to be affected or their expected times. SCE's practice is to inform residents within areas directly affected by planned outages in advance but not widely disseminate the information..
In their memo dated Oct. 13, LB's Police Chief/Fire Chief/Public Works Director indicate that the City's EAP [Emergency Action Plan] will be in place, will involve LBPD, LBFD and Public Works personnel...and "will require the use of overtime funds." The memo says SCE has indicated that it is "unable to cover the City's costs associated with this outage."
SCE's website includes a release (full text below) indicating the initial phase of its work will begin in October and "will continue through early next year..." and "much of the work will take place in southeast Long Beach "
The City Hall memo says city staff have been meeting with SCE reps regarding the outage and have [memo text] "continually expressed opposition to this outage occurring on a Saturday night due to a heightened concern from a public safety perspective."
The City memo concludes: "While it may have been too late in the process for SCE to alter the day/date for this planned outage, the city will continue to work with SCE to ensure that future planned outages that will significantly affect residents and businesses are scheduled during days/times that will result in a lesser impact."
An SCE release on its website states the following:
ROSEMEAD, Calif., Oct. 9, 2014 -- This month, Southern California Edison (SCE) will begin major infrastructure-improvement work in Long Beach to ensure continued reliable electric service for the city’s residents. SCE will invest more than $1.1 million in the initial phase of work beginning this month. The work will continue through early next year.
Much of the work will take place in southeast Long Beach and the first few construction projects will include upgrades to a substation, the construction of three new underground vaults, half a dozen manholes and more than 1.6 miles of underground cable -- in addition to the replacement of other key distribution equipment to improve reliability. During the project, some customers may experience maintenance outages. SCE will communicate with affected customers well in advance so they can make appropriate arrangements.
Hilda Delgado, Public Affairs region manager for Long Beach, said SCE recognizes its responsibility to keep the lights on.
"The grid has served Long Beach residents well for many decades," said Delgado. "Upgrading the system with new equipment will not only reduce unanticipated and extended outages and improve reliability, but help build a smarter grid that can handle the needs of customers for years to come."
Residents may experience inconveniences during some projects, including lane closures and scheduled maintenance outages. Other work might require SCE personnel to access customers’ properties to replace poles.
In the next few years, SCE plans to invest billions of dollars to strengthen its territory-wide distribution grid, which serves nearly 14 million people. The work in Long Beach is only one of many infrastructure-improvement projects that will take place.
SCE usually provides customers with at least three days advance notice before a maintenance outage, and will update customers with changes whenever possible. Here are some tips for customers preparing for a maintenance outage:
Customers with a medical condition that require electric-powered life support equipment should be sure to have a backup power system in place or make other plans for health and welfare during an outage.
Make sure food stays as cold as possible by keeping refrigerator and freezer doors closed and placing blocks of ice inside.
Learn how to manually open security gates and garage doors.
Notify any security companies that monitor the customer’s home or business.
Protect computers, televisions and other sensitive equipment by unplugging them.
If you have any questions about maintenance outages, please call SCE at 1-888-759-6056. SCE will provide the latest information about outages at its website and on Twitter.
