A power shutoff by Pacific Gas & Electric that is anticipated to affect nearly 800,000 customer in 34 California counties starting early Wednesday morning is already impacting schools, transportation and other services.
Here are a list of schools and other public services taking action as the power outages affect the Bay Area. Closures may extend beyond the next day or two; PG&E has said it could take up to seven days to restart power.
SCHOOLS
Alum Rock Union School District: All 19 district schools and the district office will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
“Even though some schools may have power, the District Office will not have power and therefore cannot provide emergency support and services,” Superintendent Hilaria Bauer said in a statement.
The district plans to update families by 4 p.m. Thursday whether closures will be necessary on Friday, as well.
Berkeley Unified School District: Schools may be affected, but as of 6 p.m. Tuesday, none were expected to be without power. Superintendent Brent Stephens said in an online statement that all schools will be open Wednesday unless parents are notified otherwise.
California School for the Deaf: A spokesperson said they are anticipating the shutoff could affect their campus in Fremont around noon Wednesday. They are having a planning meeting in the morning Wednesday to figure out how to best address the issue for the roughly 225 students who live on campus. Others who live locally will will be bused home or picked up by family members. The school has been communicating with families of students in preparation for the shutoffs.
Castro Valley Unified School District: PG&E may need to turn off power to Jensen Ranch, Palomares, and Proctor Elementary Schools and Canyon Middle School. The district said it will monitor PG&E’s website for information and will let families know if any school will be closed.
Contra Costa County: Ten school districts, including San Ramon Valley Unified and Mount Diablo Unified, currently have at least one school that could be affected by the shutoffs, a spokesman said Tuesday.
Terry Koehne, a spokesman for the county’s office of education, said parents and students should assume all schools will be open Wednesday unless they are contacted and told differently by their school or district.
Fremont Unified School District: Vallejo Mill Elementary and Niles Elementary may be affected by power shutoffs, but officials said schools will be open Wednesday, food and water will be provided, and schools will continue through the end of their early release day schedule if power is cut midday.
Oakland Unified School District: Officials said late Tuesday that only Skyline High School would close Wednesday. Some 5,000 students attend schools near power shutoff zones; if they are caught in blackouts, officials will follow safety procedures to get students home, said district spokesman John Sasaki.
“Frankly, our schools just can’t function and do all the things that they need to do with regard to teaching, learning and all the other support that they provide our students and our staff in case of a power outage,” Sasaki said.
“If we find that out, that this power shutoff is happening, we will be calling each individual school, the entire school community, all of our staff, all of our students and their families, and letting them know that there will be no school tomorrow,” he said.
San Leandro Unified School District: All schools in the district will be closed on Wednesday.
“Due to the unforeseen nature of this event, San Leandro Unified School District has taken a pre-emptive step to close all district schools, to allow notification and planning time for families and staff,” Superintendent Mike McLaughlin said in a statement Tuesday afternoon. “Although the (power outage) may not affect all district schools, safety concerns for students who would be traveling to unaffected schools through areas of San Leandro which may be out of power has dictated closure of all SLUSD schools.”
New Haven Unified School District: James Logan High School, which has about 3,500 students enrolled this year, will be closed Wednesday, as it is in the anticipated shutoff zone. All other district schools are expected to be open and unaffected Wednesday, according to spokesman John Mattos.
Napa Valley Unified School District: All schools in the district will be closed on Wednesday and Thursday.
“The district faces complex operational issues when many campuses and facilities are without power. Additionally, we want to give families ample time to make alternate arrangements, recognizing that many families will also be impacted at their homes,” Superintendent Rosanna Mucetti said in a statement.
New Haven Unified School District: James Logan High School will be closed Wednesday, as it is in the anticipated shutoff zone. All other district schools are expected to be open and unaffected Wednesday, according to spokesman John Mattos. The district office may also lose power, but it shouldn’t affect operations overall, he said.
San Jose Unified School District: Officials are informing parents and families that all schools will be open tomorrow, despite any potential shutoffs.
West Contra Costa County Unified: Officials issued a statement to parents and faculty that power may be shut off at Pinole Valley High School, Korematsu Middle School, Kensington, Olinda, Collins and Ellerhorst elementary school and Cameron School. Officials said a call will go out if that’s the case, and if parents don’t receive a call it means their childrens’ schools were not affected.
COLLEGES & UNIVERSITIES
CSU East Bay: Spokeswoman Kimberly Hawkins said officials are meeting about the shutoffs, as it’s possible the Hayward and Concord campuses could be affected by the shutoff, but nothing is certain yet. She said they’ll put the safety of students, staff, and faculty first. People looking for information from the university should check their social media channels, or the college homepage.
“We’re trying to plan as much as we can given the circumstances, but since the circumstances are constantly changing, we are changing with them,” Hawkins said.
Mills College: Classes have been canceled for Wednesday and Thursday.
West Valley-Mission Community College District: Mission College expects to be open Wednesday; West Valley College and the district offices will be closed, according to spokesman Niall Adler.
Santa Rosa Junior College: Classes have been canceled for Wednesday.
UC Berkeley: All classes on Wednesday have been canceled, according to its website. The campus will remain open, although services will be limited. Most student-serving offices will be open, but the Martin Luther King, Jr. Student Union and Eshelman Hall will be closed.
TRANSPORTATION
BART: Service will still be running through the areas that are expected to lose power, and agency officials said the shutoffs should not cause any disruptions to service. BART’s system can pull power from areas that still have electricity to blacked-out regions, the agency says.
Six stations are expected to lose power — Rockridge, Orinda, Lafayette, Castro Valley, West Dublin and Dublin. BART’s plans call for bringing in portable generators to run services such as fare gates, elevators and ticket machines, though officials warned that escalators may be out of service at those stations.
Caldecott Tunnel: The four tunnels connecting Contra Costa and Alameda counties on Highway 24 could be closed as early as Tuesday evening, according to Caltrans. Drivers should expect major traffic issues all around the area as they seek alternate routes.
Caltrain: Train service is not expected to be affected. Caltrain will communicate any issues through Twitter.
Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority: The service warned riders that its buses could be delayed if traffic signals go down and cause gridlock. The agency also said in a blog post that it does not anticipate the outages will affect its light rail system, but warned, “We cannot rule that out yet.”
Tom Lantos Tunnels: The major thoroughfare on Highway 1 in San Mateo County will be shut down in both directions, according the Office of Emergency Services.
OTHERS
Berkeley Lab: Power will be shut off after midnight and the lab will be closed Wednesday, according to its Twitter account.
East Bay MUD: The utility district has topped off reservoirs and is ensuring backup equipment is ready.
This article will be updated.