CITY OF PASADENA PUBLIC AFFAIRS OFFICE
MEDIA CONTACT: Ann Erdman, (626) 375-2742
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PASADENA WINDSTORM UPDATE – Saturday, Dec. 3, 4:30 p.m.
The winds have died down and the city of Pasadena continues its round-the-clock efforts as we transition from emergency response to disaster recovery.
Here is an update on services and infrastructure.
Electricity
Power has been restored to 95 percent of affected customers. The remaining 313 electric customers should be restored to service within 72 hours.
Anaheim Water and Power as well as Burbank Water and Power have provided mutual aid assistance to Pasadena Water and Power as the unique challenges of isolated outages are being handled on a customer-by-customer basis. Collectively more than 80 power personnel are working in the field to restore power as quickly as possible.
Although the bulk of the electric grid has been restored and is stable, there are individual properties throughout Pasadena. Each of these isolated outages has its unique challenges and safety considerations.
Water
Water outages throughout Pasadena were largely due to uprooted trees that have ruptured service lines under sidewalks and streets. Water field crews are handling these isolated cases on a customer-by-customer basis, around the clock, and estimate that water service will be restored to all remaining 10 customers with 24 to 36 hours.
Temporary solutions for service restoration are being used in certain situations; permanent repairs will be made over the next few weeks.
Damages to portions of the roof at Sunset Reservoir have been repaired. One of the basins, which holds five million gallons, will be out of service until it can be cleaned and recertified by public health officials. Customers can rest assured that no contaminated water was pumped in Pasadena’s water distribution system and water is safe to drink throughout the community.
Pasadena has a total water storage capacity of 110 million gallons – an adequate supply for all customers while Sunset Reservoir is partially out of service. Pasadena Water and Power is providing assistance to South Pasadena while a portion of that city’s water distribution system is offline due to wind-related damage.
Neither the newly renovated Windsor Reservoir, with its 2,772 rooftop solar panels, nor the new Monk Hill Water Treatment Plant sustained any damages.
Approximately 25 customers in Northwest Pasadena are experiencing low water pressure due to pumps that are offline in in Edison’s territory where power outages remain. Edison officials have been asked to prioritize restoration of power in this area so normal water pressure can resume as soon as possible.
Safety
Everyone should stay clear of compromised, overhead electric, cable and telephone lines. Do not attempt to remove trees that are touching any utility line. A list of tree-care professionals with expertise in electrical safety and tree health is available under the FYI section at www.cityofpasadena.net.
Athletic Fields
All athletic fields in city parks are closed until Monday, Dec. 5, due to debris and unsafe playing conditions.
More Information
To report fallen public trees and hazardous tree conditions, call (626) 744-4321.
To report downed power lines, call (626) 564-0199 or (626) 564-0299.
Customer service representatives are on duty around the clock, documenting all call details and forwarding to appropriate staff for resolution. Reports can also be made at the online Citizens Service Center at www.cityofpasadena.net/csc.
Pasadena residents and others who want to sign up for local alerts can go to www.cityofpasadena.net/fire/
