Media Contact: Media Relations, (626) 302-2255
ROSEMEAD, Calif., July 2, 2013 — A strong, microburst storm near Ridgecrest, Calif., has damaged Southern California Edison (SCE) equipment today, leaving about 2,000 customers in the area without power. SCE crews are on site and have started repairs. Additional crews are en route. No service restoration time is available yet.
SCE encourages customers to keep these safety tips in mind:
- Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops.
- Do not use any equipment inside that is designed for outdoor heating or cooking. Such equipment can emit carbon monoxide and other toxic gases.
- To prevent loss of data and/or damage to your sensitive electronic equipment, consider surge suppressors or shut off or disconnect all such equipment until power has been restored to protect against electrical events that can accompany outages or that can occur during service restoration.
- If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into the generator, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews.· Leave the doors of your refrigerator and freezer closed to keep your food as fresh as possible. Place blocks of ice inside to help keep food cold. Check food carefully for signs of spoilage.
- Check on your neighbors to make sure everyone is safe.
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About Southern California Edison
An Edison International (NYSE:EIX) company, Southern California Edison is one of the nation’s largest electric utilities, serving a population of nearly 14 million via 4.9 million customer accounts in a 50,000-square-mile service area within Central, Coastal and Southern California.
