How to Prepare for a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) in 72 Hours

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Start when the fire-weather forecast turns, which is usually a day or two before the utility calls. In California, the rules ask utilities to notify customers 24 to 48 hours before a Public Safety Power Shutoff and again 1 to 4 hours before when possible, so the first 24 hours of a 72-hour window usually come from watching the forecast yourself. Use that day to check your contacts and plan, the next day to charge, fuel and stock, and the final hours to shut the house down cleanly.

A mid-October 2026 event shows the shape of it. PG&E opened with advance notices to about 30,000 customers across 22 counties, then revised the scope twice inside a single day, ending at roughly 88,000 customers across 29 counties and nearly 4,000 Medical Baseline customers. The footprint moved that much between the first notice and the event itself, which is the main reason to start before the utility calls. PG&E also noted that for many of those customers it would be their first shutoff since the program began in 2018.

What is a Public Safety Power Shutoff?

A PSPS is a planned outage. When strong winds, dry vegetation and low humidity line up, a utility may cut power to specific lines ahead of time so they can't spark a fire. The California Public Utilities Commission describes it as a measure utilities may take when they reasonably believe there is an imminent and significant risk that strong winds could topple lines or push vegetation into them.

In California the utilities covered by those rules are PG&E, Southern California Edison, San Diego Gas & Electric, Liberty Utilities, Bear Valley Electric Service and PacifiCorp. The practice isn't limited to California. In April 2026, for example, Xcel Energy told customers in parts of western Colorado and the San Luis Valley to prepare for a possible shutoff during strong, dry winds.

PG&E lists what goes into the decision: low humidity, forecast high winds, dry material on the ground, vegetation near powerlines, Red Flag Warnings from the National Weather Service, and real-time ground observations. Homes and businesses in the CPUC's Tier 2 and Tier 3 fire-threat areas are more likely to see one.

How much warning will I get before a PSPS?

Usually a day or two, sometimes less. The CPUC's minimum timeline for California's investor-owned utilities looks like this. The advance-warning rows are the ones utilities are asked to hit whenever possible; the notices at shutoff, at restart and at full restoration are required.

PG&E says its alerts start two days before the shutoff when possible and continue every day until power is restored. It also says forecasts can change, and in some cases the first alert may not go out until the day of the shutoff. Build your plan so a same-day notice still works.

What should I do 72 to 48 hours before?

This is the planning day. Nothing needs to be bought yet. You're making sure the warnings reach you and the right people.

Watch the fire-weather forecast. The National Weather Service issues a Fire Weather Watch when Red Flag conditions are possible in roughly the next 12 to 72 hours, and a Red Flag Warning when they're occurring or expected soon. Some utilities also publish their own outlook; PG&E posts a 7-day PSPS forecast.

Check that your utility can reach you. PG&E account holders don't need to sign up for PSPS alerts, but the alerts go to the contact information on the account. If your number or email has changed, update it now.

Cover the addresses that aren't on your bill. This is the gap most households miss. If your parents live in a fire-prone county, or your landlord pays the electric bill, the utility's alerts go to someone else. PG&E offers Address Alerts for exactly this, by phone and text, for any address you care about, including a parent's home, a child's school or a rental unit.

A second layer of warning helps here too, because a PSPS starts with weather. GridPrepped's alerts page shows active National Weather Service warnings for any ZIP code without an account, and a free account emails you for up to five locations with the severity set for each one. NWS rates Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches at the Severe level, so they clear the "Severe only" threshold without needing the chattier setting. If a parent lives in a Sierra foothill county inside a utility's scope, watching their ZIP alongside your own puts a Fire Weather Watch there in your inbox before any shutoff notice exists. GridPrepped doesn't send PSPS notices. Those come from the utility. What the alerts can do is give you the forecast a day earlier, which is often when the planning is easiest.

Register any medical needs. PG&E offers extra PSPS alerts, which may include an in-person check, to Medical Baseline customers and to customers who self-certify for Vulnerable Customer Status. Other utilities run similar programs. Ready.gov's advice is to talk with your medical provider about a plan for powered devices and refrigerated medicine before an outage.

What should I do 24 to 48 hours before?

The notice has arrived, or the forecast is firm. This is the day to fill every tank you have.

Charge everything. Phones, power banks, laptops, flashlights, any portable power station, and the car. PG&E specifically suggests making sure an electric vehicle is fully charged.

Get water and food that need no power. A PSPS can run longer than a normal outage because crews inspect lines after the wind dies down, so plan for several days. Ready.gov says a refrigerator keeps food cold for about four hours with the door closed and a full freezer holds for about 48 hours. Freeze extra water bottles now. They keep the freezer full and give you cold drinking water later.

Get cash and fuel. Card readers and gas pumps need power too. If you have a generator, test it outdoors and store fuel safely.

Pull the plan together. Decide where you'll go if the house gets too hot or too cold, who checks on whom, and how you'll reach each other if cell service gets spotty. If you've never built a kit, GridPrepped's free 72-hour kit checklist covers water, food, light and power, health, documents and tools, and needs no account. A PSPS notice is the most predictable reason you'll ever get to use it.

What should I do in the last few hours?

Unplug sensitive electronics. Ready.gov notes that power may return with momentary surges or spikes that can damage equipment.

Set up light and information. Put a flashlight in each room you'll use, and keep a battery or hand-crank weather radio where everyone can find it.

Set up the generator safely, if you use one. Ready.gov says generators and fuel belong outdoors and at least 20 feet from windows, doors and attached garages. Install carbon monoxide detectors with battery backup on every level of the home.

Know how to open the garage. Most openers have a manual release. Find it in daylight, and get the car out first if you might need to leave.

Close the fridge and freezer and leave them closed. Every opening shortens those four- and 48-hour windows. If the food warms to 40°F or above, Ready.gov says to throw it out.

How long does a Public Safety Power Shutoff last?

As long as the dangerous weather, plus inspection time. Before turning power back on, the utility patrols and inspects the lines. California's rules call for service to be restored as soon as possible and within 24 hours after the PSPS event ends, unless it's unsafe to do so.

That means the outage can outlast the wind. PG&E's October 2026 notice covered a window of roughly three days, Wednesday evening through Saturday evening. Planning for three days and getting one is fine; planning for an evening and getting three is not.

Where can I go during a PSPS?

California utilities open Community Resource Centers during shutoffs. For its October 2026 event, PG&E said its centers offered ADA-accessible restrooms, device charging, Wi-Fi, blankets, air conditioning, bottled water and snacks, with hours and locations posted on its PSPS updates page. Look up the nearest one before the power goes out, while you can still load the page.

What if someone in my home depends on electricity?

Start earlier. A PSPS is one of the few outages where you get days of notice, and California's rules ask utilities to coordinate with public safety partners on affirmative notification for Medical Baseline customers who depend on power for life-sustaining equipment. In its October 2026 notice, PG&E said it would try in-person visits to Medical Baseline customers who don't confirm they got the alerts. Register with your utility's program if you qualify, and talk to your doctor and device maker about backup power before fire season, not during the 24-hour notice.

Then write the details down where someone else can find them. The saved emergency plans in your GridPrepped dashboard (free account) include a Medical Reference section with a field for medical devices and power needs. A caregiver who gets the call that a shutoff starts tonight then has one page with the battery location, the runtime from your last test and the nearest resource center.

PSPS checklist: 72 hours to shutoff

The best time to do the first column is before a notice arrives. Build a free household plan at gridprepped.com/plan in a few minutes, no account needed, and check what's coming for your ZIP code on the alerts page.

Sources

- California Public Utilities Commission, Public Safety Power Shutoffs: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/consumer-support/psps
- CPUC staff, Unofficial Compendium of PSPS Guidelines and Rules (July 2022), sections on notification timing, Community Resource Centers and restoration: https://www.cpuc.ca.gov/-/media/cpuc-website/divisions/safety-and-enforcement-division/psps/psps-compendium-12-july-2022.pdf
- PG&E, "PG&E Sending Two Day-Ahead Notifications to Approximately 30,000 Customers Who Might Experience a Public Safety Power Shutoff," October 13, 2026 (via YubaNet): https://yubanet.com/california/pge-sending-two-day-ahead-notifications-to-approximately-30000-customers-who-might-experience-a-public-safety-power-shutoff/
- PG&E, Public Safety Power Shutoffs: https://www.pge.com/en/outages-and-safety/safety/community-wildfire-safety-program/public-safety-power-shutoffs.html
- PG&E, Outage Alerts: https://www.pge.com/en/account/manage-my-account/online-account-preferences/outage-alerts.html
- CBS Colorado, "Xcel Energy warns of possible public safety power shutoffs in western, southern Colorado due to high fire danger," April 2026: https://www.cbsnews.com/colorado/news/xcel-energy-possible-public-safety-power-shutoffs-western-colorado-fire-danger/
- Southern California Geographic Area Coordination Center, Watches and Warnings for California: https://gacc.nifc.gov/oscc/predictive/weather/myfiles/Watches_and_Warnings_for_California.htm
- Ready.gov, Power Outages: https://www.ready.gov/power-outages