Southern California Edison may cut power to parts of Malibu beginning Thursday as forecasters warn of hot, dry Santa Ana winds that could fuel extreme fire behavior, city officials said Tuesday.
The utility told the city it may shut off power to Malibu's Cuthbert, Galahad, Maguire and Merlin circuits starting at midnight Thursday, Oct. 15. The step, called a Public Safety Power Shutoff, is meant to keep SCE equipment from starting fires during dangerous conditions.
The National Weather Service forecasts hot, dry conditions and Santa Ana winds from Tuesday through Friday. Mountain gusts could reach 70 mph, and any new fire could spread with extreme behavior. The strongest winds and the hottest temperatures, in the upper 80s and 90s, are expected Thursday and Friday.
SCE notifies affected customers directly. Residents can look up their circuit and check outage and restoration status on the utility's PSPS page at sce.com. According to the city, power may take eight hours or more to come back after the winds die down, because crews must inspect lines and equipment for safety before restoring service.
City officials urged residents to prepare for outages of power, cell service and traffic signals, as well as for fires and evacuations.
The city's guidance includes keeping phones and devices charged and vehicle gas tanks full. Residents should review evacuation routes and reunification locations and prepare emergency supplies, including food, water, medications and essential documents. Officials said elderly and disabled residents and horse owners should consider leaving early. They also asked residents to check on vulnerable neighbors.
Anyone who sees smoke should call 911. California law requires drivers to come to a complete stop at any malfunctioning traffic signal. Officials said residents should be extremely careful with anything that could cause sparks, such as powered garden or landscaping equipment.
The city recommended keeping a battery-powered or car radio on hand to follow weather and emergency information during outages, including KBUU 99.1 FM. Other resources include:
- the Watch Duty app
- Los Angeles County's emergency information page at lacounty.gov/emergency
- county alert sign-ups at ready.lacounty.gov/emergency-notifications
- city alerts at malibucity.org/news
A fire preparedness guide is also available on the city's website.
The warnings come as the National Weather Service office in Los Angeles/Oxnard said Tuesday that a heat advisory remains in effect from 10 a.m. Thursday to 8 p.m. Saturday. Temperatures up to 95 degrees are expected.
The return of heat and fire danger follows weeks of sharp swings in the region's weather. Southern California went from a prolonged heat wave to the season's first widespread rain as Tropical Storm Rachel approached the region last weekend. Temperatures went from the 70’s two weeks ago, to 100 during the recent heatwave to 69 on Monday.
The advisory covers Los Angeles County beaches, the Los Angeles County inland coast including downtown Los Angeles, and the Palos Verdes Hills. It also covers coastal and inland areas of San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties. Cities in the advisory area include Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Culver City, Torrance, Redondo Beach and Long Beach.
The weather service said the heat may cause heat illnesses. Forecasters advised residents to drink plenty of fluids, stay in air-conditioned rooms, stay out of the sun and check on relatives and neighbors.