All Mt. Diablo schools are currently open
Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) has indicated it will pre-emotivelv cut oower this week in seven of the nine Bay Area counties it serves to prevent power lines from sparking wildfires during the extreme dry and windy weather the National Weather Service (NWS) has forecasted for the next several davs. This could impact our schools and school operations, families, and employees.
On October 7th, 2019, at about 1:30 PM, PG&E notified certain customers who live in the Mt. Diablo Unified School District boundaries that a Public Safety Power Shutoff may occur in 36 to 48 hours. We are working with the information being provided by PG&E, and local authorities in our preparation for potential shut downs.
The District is working with the local officials, PG&E, and staying in communication with our school leaders to monitor the situation and prepare to take action if necessary. As of this time, all District schools will remain open. Should we be advised of any prolonged power outages, we will take steps to advise all stakeholders.
The District will continue to monitor the events, and will provide updated information to the community should there be any need to close schools, or modify school schedules. We believe that keeping schools open provides a safe place for students to be and will strive to do so with the limited information we have received from PG&E on the specifics of any actual shut downs that impact our facilities. Up to date information can also be found on our website at and our Social Media Platforms including Facebook, and Twitter.
More information will be shared as it comes available. Robert A. Martinez, Ed.D.
Superintendent Mt. Diablo Unified School District
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These “Public Safetv Power Shutoff ‘ events precede a warning of an actual planned outage. PG&E has said it would provide 24 to 48 hours’ notice of a power cut – and this will help us in planning resulting school closures.
PG&E must consider a variety of factors before issuing a shut-off, including the status of red-flag fire danger warnings and expected wind and humidity levels. The challenge with these outages is the potential duration for the restoration of services – anywhere from several hours to several days, depending on circumstances. PG&E’s website provides resources for oreoarina for a shutoff.
PG&E has provided the following information for households to consider to prepare for potential shut down:
- Confirm or uodate vour contact information with PG&E. We’ll send notifications to the contacts we have on file in advance of a shutoff, when
- Create a safety plan for all members of your family, including pets. A Public Safety Power Shutoff can happen at any time of day or night, due to changing weather
- Preoare an emeraencv suoolv ki Include enough water and nonperishable food to last your household one week. Be sure to refresh your kit once a year.
- Determine if your landline will work during an Keep a mobile phone as backup.
- Keep mobile phones and other devices
- If you have a generator, make sure it’s readv to ooerate safelv.
- Have flashlights available for your household. Avoid using
- Have a battery-powered or crank
- Stock up on the right batteries for items you rely Include two extra sets in various sizes.
- Keep cash on hand and a full tank of ATMs and gas stations may not be available during an outage.
- Learn how to manually open your garage or any other door that operates with
- Talk with your building manager if you live or work in a building that has elevators or electronic key card access to understand how they will deal with a possible multi-day
