SAN FRANCISCO (AP) – California’s top utilities regulator says she’s astounded by the lack of basic preparation Pacific Gas & Electric officials took in readying for a pre-emptive power shut-off that affected more than 2 million people.
California Public Utilities Commission President Marybel Batjer said at an emergency meeting Friday that the utility failed on so many levels on simple matters.
PG&E shut off power to 700,000 customer accounts as a wildfire prevention method. Customers complained of overloaded call centers and a website that crashed throughout the Oct. 9 event.
Local officials said they were left in the dark as well.
