EAST PALO ALTO
CITY COUNCIL
STAFF REPORT
DATE: March 7, 2023
TO: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
VIA: Melvin Gaines, City Manager
BY: Melvin Gaines, City Manager
SUBJECT: February 2023 Windstorm and Power Outage Update Recommendation
Receive an informational report on the impacts of the February 2023 windstorm and the City’s response.
Alignment with City Council Strategic Plan
This recommendation is primarily aligned with:
Priority No. 1: Enhance Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Priority No. 5: Improve Communication and Enhance Community Engagement Priority No. 6: Create a Healthy and Safe Community
Background
On Tuesday, February 21, 2023, East Palo Alto and many other Bay Area communities were impacted by a windstorm that caused damage including downed power lines, fallen trees and power outages. Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) reported that in the Bay Area, this windstorm hit San Mateo County the hardest. In San Mateo County the resulting power outages affected nearly 1 in 3 people, over 60,000 customers.
Impact in East Palo Alto
From February 21 through 24, 2023, San Mateo County dispatch received 299 calls for emergency services in East Palo Alto. Table 1, below provides a comparison of calls for service from the same three days in 2022. Of note, are the substantial increase in calls for service related to fallen trees (9), downed wires (7), traffic control (10) and fire response (26).
The higher volume in these types of calls for service in 2023 compared to 2022 is likely correlated to the windstorm and resulting power outage. Most East Palo Alto households were without electricity for approximately 53 hours from Tuesday afternoon through Thursday evening.
Table 1: Emergency Calls for Service Comparison
Type of Call February 21-24,
2022
February 21 -24,
2023 Increase % Change
Trees Down 0 9 9 N/C
Wires Down 0 7 7 N/C
Fire Response 1 26 25 2500%
Medical 14 29 25 107%
Traffic Collision 8 10 2 25%
Traffic Control 1 10 9 900%
Crime Related 79 86 7 9%
Miscellaneous 109 122 13 12%
Total Calls 212 299 87 41%
City Hall was the only City facility that had standard power each day from February 21 through February 23. The Corp Yard on Tara Road was without power from the afternoon of February 21 until the evening of February 22. The Police Department needed to use its emergency generator to maintain power from February 21 through February 23, and the Public Works and Community and Economic Development offices at 1960 Tate Street were closed from February 21 through February 23 due to lack of electricity. Staff from these locations either worked remotely at City Hall or were in the field.
Analysis
Emergency Response
In addition to police and fire personnel responding to 299 calls for service, the City’s Maintenance Division employees removed several fallen trees from the public right of way and helped clear a large tree that had fallen on private property on Hunter Way. None of the fallen trees caused any known injuries to persons; however, several vehicles were damaged.
Maintenance staff also set up detours to redirect traffic and placed stop signs at various intersections with inoperable traffic lights. Additionally, maintenance staff cleaned debris from streets and storm drains throughout the city to reduce the likelihood that the rains would result in flooding.
Much of the City’s response on Tuesday, February 21 was reacting to these emergencies. City staff did not anticipate that power would be out for a prolonged period; however, met to plan and implement a coordinated response to the power outage at 9 am on Wednesday, February 2022. Menlo Park Fire Protection District’s Fire Marshall joined the City for this discussion.
Discussion topics included:
• Damage assessment - downed trees, power lines, property/buildings • The City’s responses to the damage and power outage
• The power outage and communications with PG&E
• Communications to the City Council and Public
• Available funds to respond to damages and the power outage • City operations for any facilities without power
City Communications with PG&E
City staff and Councilmembers began reaching out to PG&E’s government affairs representatives early on February 22 and continued to efforts to receive information from PG&E until the power was restored the evening of February 23. The level of information that PG&E provided to the City was more detailed on Thursday, February 23. They provided the City with more details on the extent of the damages, what repairs needed to be made and estimates of when the power would be restored.
During the afternoon of February 23, PG&E communicated they expected power to be restored the evening of February 24. Early in the evening of February 23, PG&E provided an update that power would be restored within a couple of hours.
When communicating the needs of the East Palo Alto community to PG&E, staff emphasized the need for blankets and other supplies, which the City had been providing. The City requested that PG&E supplement these efforts, and PG&E provided 200 “go bags” for the City to distribute to residents. The go bags each contained a blanket, flashlight, an external power station and snacks.
Communications with other Agencies
In addition to Menlo Fire, the City coordinated with the San Mateo County Executive’s office, San Mateo County Department of Emergency Management (DEM) and American Red Cross to pool resources and optimize the response. DEM and American Red Cross provided additional blankets for the City to distribute. American Red Cross offered to provided cots and blankets if the City opened an overnight warming center but could not provide volunteers to staff a facility overnight. The City also coordinated with a Ravenswood City School District (RCSD) board member to provide them with blankets and other supplies to distribute throughout the City.
Public Communications
The City began sharing information about the power outage with the public on social media and through the City’s website late in the morning of February 22. These updates shared the information the City had on the power outage, provided safety recommendations, and informed the public of the aid the City could provide during the power outage. For those elderly residents with whom the City had contact information for through the Senior Services programs, the City sent direct communications. These communications offered aid and directed them to call the City for immediate assistance. The phone number provided was the direct for the cell phone of the Community Services manager.
In the evening of Thursday, February 23, the City released its e-newsletter which included a message on the power outage from the city manager.
Public Services and Aid
On February 22 at 8 am, the City opened the Community Room at 2415 University Avenue to the public as a workspace, place to charge electronics and to rest. The City also provided vouchers for community members to get free coffee from McDonald’s. Coffee provided via a voucher was paid for by the City.
The community room was open to the public from 8 am to 8:30 pm on both February 22 and
23. The City was unable to provide staffing to keep the facility open overnight. Community Services staff responded to community requests for aid, prioritizing the elderly and those with limited mobility. In total, Community Services staff provided aid to 72 households, of which there were: 31 seniors, 20 residents with youth under 6 years old, and 2 households with persons with limited mobility. The RCSD board member also distributed supplies to 50 households with the supplies they received from the City.
Next Steps
The City continues to improve its emergency response coordination. As the City’s Director of Emergency Services, the City Manager had already begun the process to update the City’s Emergency Operations Plan. However, this emergency as with the floods in January, continue to emphases that emergency preparedness is a priority for the City. Staff will return to the Council this year to discuss the City’s emergency preparedness.
A major challenge the City faced, in assessing the length of time that the power outage would persist and appropriate responses to outage, was the limited communication from PG&E. The lack of communication from PG&E is the most prominent frustration expressed by community members. The City is working with the offices of Assemblymember Diane Papan and Senator Josh Becker to schedule a community meeting with PG&E. This event is tentatively scheduled for March 16 at 6 pm and will likely be held in the City Council Chambers.
Fiscal Impact
There is no fiscal impact associated with this report.
Public Notice
The public was provided notice of this agenda item by posting the City Council agenda on the City’s official bulletin board outside City Hall and making the agenda and report available at the City’s website and at the San Mateo County Library located at 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto.
Environmental
The proposed action is not a “project” within the meaning of the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA), pursuant to CEQA Guideline section 15378(b)(2), in that it is government administrative activity that will not result in direct or indirect changes in the environment.