Thousands without power in Sacramento County, more outages possible with Wednesday’s storm

As of Monday night, around 3,700 SMUD customers were still without power, according to their outage map. Many of those people have been without power since New Year’s Eve when a winter storm ripped through the region. The strong winds caused trees to be knocked down, and some of those trees also brought down power lines and power poles. SMUD is bracing for yet another storm this week that could lead to more outages.SMUD spokesperson Gamaliel Ortiz said crews are working at full capacity to address the outages, and their partners have also been helping restore power to customers. KCRA 3 asked why there were still thousands of people in the dark more than 48 hours since the outages began.”There remain some complications of course, due to the storm and the scope of the storm, and the flooding is creating some access issues for SMUD crews, especially in the southern parts of Sacramento County,” Ortiz said in response. Another rainstorm with strong winds is expected to hit Sacramento on Wednesday. Ortiz said SMUD will stay in an all-hands-on-deck position in preparation for any issues that may arise.”If it brings those very strong winds and gusts, there is concern that there will be further damage, which will lead to more outages,” Ortiz said. “Moving forward, SMUD will continue to work at full capacity to address the potential outages for Wednesday’s storm.”Several homes near Land Park were still without power Monday night. DM Siebert’s house has had no electricity since just before 8 pm Saturday night. She said her home gets freezing in the early morning hours, so she has been inseparable from her blankets for the past couple of days.”If you’re not totally under the covers, you are ice cold, and my feet are cold. It’s not the way you want to live,” Siebert said. “We have to pile the blankets on.”The only heat in the house comes from a fireplace, and the little bit of light inside is thanks to some scattered candles, a flashlight and Cell phones Siebert said if she still has no power when Wednesday’s storm begins, she will take drastic measures to keep herself, her family, and her pets warm.”If push comes to shove, we’ll have to find an animal-friendly motel and make a change, because I can’t live like this much longer,” Siebert said.SMUD said if customers need to stay somewhere other than their homes and if the food in their fridges spoils due to the power outage, there might be Some help available.Customers can call SMUD’s customer service line at 1-888-456-7683 and explain their situation, and SMUD will work with everyone on a case-by-case basis for potential reimbursement.

SACRAMENTO, Calif. —

As of Monday night, around 3,700 SMUD customers were still without power, according to their outage map. Many of those people have been without power since New Year’s Eve when a winter storm ripped through the region.

The strong winds caused trees to be knocked down, and some of those trees also brought down power lines and power poles. SMUD is bracing for yet another storm this week that could lead to more outages.

SMUD spokesperson Gamaliel Ortiz said crews are working at full capacity to address the outages, and their partners have also been helping restore power to customers. KCRA 3 asked why there were still thousands of people in the dark more than 48 hours since the outages began.

“There remain some complications of course, due to the storm and the scope of the storm, and the flooding is creating some access issues for SMUD crews, especially in the southern parts of Sacramento County,” Ortiz said in response.

Another rainstorm with strong winds is expected to hit Sacramento on Wednesday. Ortiz said SMUD will stay in an all-hands-on-deck position in preparation for any issues that may arise.

“If it brings those very strong winds and gusts, there is concern that there will be further damage, which will lead to more outages,” Ortiz said. “Moving forward, SMUD will continue to work at full capacity to address the potential outages for Wednesday’s storm.”

Several homes near Land Park were still without power Monday night. DM Siebert’s house has had no electricity since just before 8 pm Saturday night. She said her home gets freezing in the early morning hours, so she has been inseparable from her blankets for the past couple of days.

“If you’re not totally under the covers, you are ice cold, and my feet are cold. It’s not the way you want to live,” Siebert said. “We have to pile the blankets on.”

The only heat in the house comes from a fireplace, and the little bit of light inside is thanks to some scattered candles, a flashlight and cell phones. Siebert said if she still has no power when Wednesday’s storm begins, she will take drastic measures to keep herself, her family, and her pets warm.

“If push comes to shove, we’ll have to find an animal-friendly motel and make a change, because I can’t live like this much longer,” Siebert said.

SMUD said if customers need to stay somewhere other than their homes and if the food in their fridges spoils due to the power outage, there might be some help available.

Customers can call SMUD’s customer service line at 1-888-456-7683 and explain their situation, and SMUD will work with everyone on a case-by-case basis for potential reimbursement.