CLEARLAKE, Calif. – The Clearlake City Council on Thursday heard the latest about city preparations for the likelihood of public safety power shutoffs over the summer.
City Manager Alan Flora went to the council on Thursday with the update, and also wanted input from the council on its priorities for staff action in the case of a shutoff.
The discussion begins at the 59:57 mark in the video above.
In the wake of Pacific Gas and Electric’s power utility infrastructure having been identified as the cause of numerous wildland fires around the state – including the 2017 Sulphur fire in Clearlake – PG&E has warned that widespread power shutoffs could be triggered across its vast service area in the event of weather, heat and fire conditions.
Flora showed a video from PG&E about its plan for power shutoffs, which can be seen below.
Some of the key recommendations Flora offered to community members included buying a generator when possible, staying with someone who has power, having cash on hand – as most businesses won’t have credit card processing capabilities – and keeping vehicles full of fuel.
He said the city has been doing outreach to local businesses.
“I can tell you, most people aren’t prepared,” he said.
Flora said banks will be closed or have limited ability to do transactions, and few if any ATMs will be working.
He and other city staffers are working on a plan focused on continuing normal city operations during a public safety power shutoff.
City Hall has a generator that will allow it to operate normally through a power shutdown, with the goal of having all city staff on site, working normally. Due to the city’s fiber connection, Flora said they believe they should have full Internet access.
One of the main issues for the city is its fuel supply, as there is no city-owned gasoline storage, only storage for diesel. Flora said that both the police department and Public Works have used up to 120 gallons of fuel a day, so they need a plan to meet that need, as it’s not expected that there will be fueling stations open and operating in the city.
Public Works Superintendent Mike Baker is working on identifying solutions for mobile fuel storage and Lake County Fire Chief Willie Sapeta has offered the city access to a fire fuel storage facility, although Flora said the city doesn’t want to have to rely on that. He added that he expects there to be issues with timely gas deliveries to the city.
Flora said the city’s traffic lights have no battery backup, and city staff is working on getting backup generators installed for the lights as well as at the shop and animal control shelter at the city’s corporation yard.
He said he’s talked with city staff about their personal preparedness so they can come to work.
Flora said people have been asking about a cooling center, and he’s not recommending establishing one at this time for several reasons, including the fact that a shutdown is considered to be a manmade event, not a natural disaster.
As such, there is no state or federal reimbursement available, although there has been some discussion at the state level about freeing up funds respond. “There is some potential that that may happen at some point,” Flora said.
Flora said there is no way the city can support a cooling shelter, adding he believes the city should be providing resources to community members to help them prepare their families and businesses.
If the city does need to respond, it will need to focus on those who are the most medically fragile, he said.
Opening a cooling shelter would draw staff from other necessary city operations, and Flora said the city doesn’t have the depth to run such a center on a 24-hour basis. Red Cross, he added, isn’t going to show up to help.
The power shutdowns also are going to impact city revenues – including sales tax, transient occupancy or bed tax and the PG&E franchise fee, which to the city of Clearlake currently totals about $200,000 – as well as other miscellaneous fees for service, Flora said.
Flora said the city is having conversations with PG&E’s Government Affairs Division representatives, who are considering establishing community resource centers during the shutoffs. They’ve identified two potential sites for such facilities in Lake County and should have all sites identified by the end of July.
PG&E would staff the resource centers, which would not be cooling centers or shelters, Flora said. Rather, the plan so far is that they would be open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. daily during a shutoff and allow people to access information, the Internet and charge their devices.
Flora said the city has recommended Austin Park and the community center as possible sites; PG&E also is looking at Walmart as a location that would work for putting up a large tent, with access to a lot of parking.
He pleaded with the community to prepare for a public safety power shutoff and not rely on the city or county to house, clothe and feed the unprepared.
Flora said that PG&E’s assessment of the city of Clearlake’s needs during a power shutoff found only three critical facilities and 25 medically fragile people, which he said he found hard to believe.
Councilwoman Joyce Overton asked about necessary measures to keep the city’s stoplights working. Flora said the city has received a quote of $8,500 per intersection for battery backup.
Later in the discussion, Councilman Dirk Slooten asked about the stoplights on Highway 53. Police Chief Andrew White said Caltrans is installing generators for its lights on Highway 53.
Slooten said he found it ironic that PG&E is doing these shutdowns to cover its inability to provide power. Other countries put their lines underground, and Slooten – a native of the Netherlands – said it’s hard to put lines underground in old European cities, but it’s done.
Puting lines under ground is the only way to really solve this issue, Slooten said.
District 2 County Supervisor Bruno Sabatier said there’s no good solution. “It’s going to be an emergency that we don’t get to treat as an emergency.”
Sabatier suggested the city use a model similar to the Clearlake Police Department’s You Are Not Alone Program in which volunteers check in with seniors with a daily phone call. He said the city could gather the phone numbers for the medically fragile and have volunteers reach out.
Flora pointed out that city staff who have seen the list have signed nondisclosure agreements.
White said during the public safety power shutoff that impacted part of the county last year, the city had struggled to get the list of those who needed special assistance due to medical issues and, at that time, it totaled just over 150 addresses, compared to the 25 on the most recent list.
Mayor Russell Cremer thanked staff for their work.
“It’s frustrating that we don’t have help from anybody else,” Cremer said, adding that if the city can do anything, it needs to help its medically fragile community members.
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062719 Clearlake City Council agenda packet by LakeCoNews on Scribd