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Fog and drizzle-triggered power outages impact East Bay businesses

2 mins read

East Bay, as of mid-morning on Sunday, has been suffering from power outages caused by the thick fog and drizzle in the region.

PG&E spokesperson Karly Hernandez said over 26, 000 customers around the Bay Area were still affected by the power outage as of 10:00 in the morning.

Over 22, 000 customers in East Bay were affected – the most in the region. Majority of them are in the areas of El Cerrito, San Pablo and Richmond.

“We woke up and noticed the lights were not on,” Tashi Delek’s owner Phurba Sherpa said. “We called PG&E and they told me they don’t know when power will be back. So we made the decision to close.”

According to PG&E, the outages were caused by the dirt-turn-to mud on the power lines because of the light rain. This conducts electricity.

“We have cleaning crews that take care of the lines,” PG&E spokesperson Deanna Contreras said. “It has been a long dry spell and the first rainfall or mist creates problems.”

The outage has affected Sherpa’s business, he can only serve 20 percent of his menu. He is preventing contamination of food by keeping his refrigerators closed, and not allowing hot air to enter. One reservation, and probably more, was canceled and are to be canceled.

“If we don’t get the power back, we will have to cancel most of the dinner rush,” he said.

“PG&E never gave me a timetable,” he said, as he does not have the idea when the power will be restored. “When I heard that I knew it was best just to close till I know.”

The outage has also affected 2, 100 customers in San Francisco and 2, 000 others on the Peninsula.

Twenty-nine sites in Richmond experienced outages because of flashovers, leaving 9, 000 customers affected. Some 2, 600 customers in 16 locations in San Pablo were also affected, ABC7 reported.

The PG&E said outages have started Saturday evening and their personnel is working to bring the power back.

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