Rain and wind leave 66,500 LADWP customers without power Saturday
The rain and wind caused widespread power outages Friday evening and into Saturday. The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power reported Saturday morning that 66,500 of its customers are still without power.
Friday evening, less than 7,000 customers were affected by power outages across the city. As strong winds picked up, power outages increased and climbed to a high of 78,000 by 1 a.m. Saturday.
The Department said working in extreme conditions overnight, all available line crews worked to restore power to 52,000 customers by Saturday morning, and they are still working on the 66,500 still without power.
"Our crews are the best at what they do and will work around the clock until every customer has power restored, said Brian Wilbur, Senior Assistant General Manager – Power System."
LADWP is advising customers without power to be patient, as it may take 24 to 48 hours before a crew can respond to make repairs. "While we know this is an extended period of time and a significant inconvenience for our customers, we want to assure everyone affected that we're working hard to get power restored. The weather, crew safety, and the complexity of some repairs related to downed trees will largely determine how quickly we are able to get power restored" Wilbur added.
If your power does go out:
• Report it online at ladwp.com/outages or by calling 1-800-DIAL-DWP (1-800-342-5397)
• Use a flashlight instead of candles, as a light source.
• Switch off all lights, except for one, so you will know when your power has been restored.
• Once your power is restored, it may require you to reset your circuit breaker for lights to come back on.
• Keep your refrigerator closed to keep food cold.
• Check on vulnerable friends and neighbors to make sure they are safe.
With heavy rain continuing Saturday, LADWP urges customers to avoid downed power lines, and to call 911 if you come across downed lines.
