Media Contact: David Song, (626) 302-2255

ROSEMEAD, Calif., Nov. 24, 2014 — With high winds forecast for many areas of Southern California through Wednesday, Southern California Edison (SCE) reminds its customers that outages might occur and to never approach or touch downed power lines.  

If you see a downed line or dangling wire — even if it appears not to be live — don’t touch or approach it or any person or object in contact with it and call 911 immediately.

The National Weather Service has issued Red Flag Warnings for parts of Los Angeles and Ventura counties, and strong winds are forecast for Orange County and the Inland Empire as well as the mountains and High Desert areas.

SCE is closely monitoring the conditions and has crews prepared to respond. If outages occur, customers can get the latest information using SCE’s smartphone app, visiting on.sce.com/staysafe or at twitter.com/sce and facebook.com/sce, or they can report an outage at 1-800-611-1911.

Customer safety is a top priority for SCE. Remember to check emergency supplies to be sure you have a battery-operated radio, a flashlight and fresh batteries. SCE also offers these tips: 

  • Watch for traffic signals that may be out. Approach those intersections as four-way stops.
  • If you’re in a vehicle with a fallen power line on it, stay in the vehicle and remain calm until help arrives. It is OK to use your cellphone to call 911. If you must leave the vehicle, remember to exit away from downed power lines and exit by jumping from the vehicle. You must not touch the vehicle and the ground at the same time. Then proceed away from the vehicle by shuffling your feet until you are several yards away. 
  • Water and electricity don’t mix. Water is an excellent conductor of electricity. Do not step in or enter any water that a downed power line may be touching. 
  • If you use a generator, place it outdoors and plug individual appliances directly into it, using a heavy-duty extension cord. Connecting generators directly to household circuits creates “backfeed,” which is dangerous to repair crews.

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.