SAN DIEGO (NEWS 8) - Seven San Diego school districts were closed Wednesday due to San Diego Gas & Electric's public safety power shut off, but are expected to re-open Thursday; and the Red Flag Warning that prompted the shut-off ended Wednesday evening.
The San Diego County of Education released a statement Wednesday evening saying that the schools that were closed because of weather-related power outages are expected to re-open on Thursday.
The statement said, in part:
The safety and security of students, faculty, and staff is of the utmost importance to schools across the county. Because San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) activated a public safety power shutoff in certain parts of the county, some local schools were closed Tuesday and Wednesday.
Because San Diego Gas & Electric activated a public safety power shutoff in certain parts of the county, the following districts and schools were closed, Wednesday, November 14th:
Districts
• Jamul-Dulzura School District
• Julian Union School District
• Julian Union High School District
• Mountain Empire Unified School District
• Rancho Santa Fe School District
• Spencer Valley School District
• Valley Center-Pauma Unified School District
Schools
• Del Lago Academy - Campus of Applied Science in the Escondido Union High School District
• Solana Santa Fe School in the Solana Beach School District
SDG&E said power will remain out in parts of San Diego County as long as the weather threatens the electric grid. Once wind speeds calm for a sustained period, crews and contracted firefighters will patrol power lines in affected areas to check for damage before power is restored, the utility said.
Residents can get water and snacks, charge their phones and get updated information on outages at the resources center located at:
- Mountain Empire High School Gymnasium, 3305 Buckman Springs Road, Campo;
- Potrero Resource Center, 24550 Highway 94, Potrero;
- Camp Oliver Lodge, 8761 Riverside Drive, Descanso; and
- Golden Acorn Casino & Travel Center, 1800 Golden Acorn Way, Campo;
- Whispering Winds Catholic Camp, 17606 Harrison Park Road, Julian;
- Dulzura Community Center, 1136 Community Building Road, Dulzura.
"We recognize how inconvenient it is to be without power," the utility said on its website. "Public safety is our highest priority and we appreciate everyone's patience throughout the duration of this extreme weather event."
The National Weather Service issued a red flag warning, denoting a strong risk of wildfire, for the county mountains, valleys and coastal areas that was originally set to last until 5 p.m. Tuesday but has been extended to 5 p.m. Wednesday.
Winds were expected to blow east to northeast at between 25 to 35 mph with gusts near 60 mph possible near the coastal mountain slopes, according to the NWS.
Humidity levels will drop to around 5 percent Wednesday in the valleys, inland coastal areas and coastal mountain slopes.
News 8's Neda Iranpour battles strong winds as she reports in Alpine Tuesday morning.