September 20, 2019
Dear NUSD Community,
This morning the Novato Police Department and the City of Novato issued notifications that PG&E will potentially turn off power to fire prone areas as part of their Public Safety Power Shutoff (see notification below.)
The Novato Unified School District has been working with the City of Novato, Novato Fire District, Novato Police Department and other local agencies since early 2019 in preparation for these possible power shutoffs. As part of this process, the Marin County Office of Education, various county agencies, and the Marin County Superintendents have developed uniform guidelines for schools to follow in the event of a power shutoff.
Based on the information and guidance we have at this time; we anticipate taking the following steps in the event of a power shut down:
- If the power is shut down during the normal school day, school operations will continue through the remainder of the school day.
- If the power is shut down outside of the normal school day, school will be closed until power is restored. Based on estimates from PG&E, Public Safety Power Shutoffs may result in extended power outages of 3-5 days.
When power is restored, schools will be back in session. If power is restored during the normal school day, school will be back in session the following day.
Communication during the power outage – Schools will make every effort to provide updated information regarding status of the outage, using whatever information channels they have available (cell phone, landline, email, texting, social media, local news media) with the understanding that communication systems will be limited.
In order to stay as up to date as possible on the most current information, our public safety officials are recommending that you register your contact information at the following sites:
| · www.AlertMarin.org
(text zip codes to 888777) |
· PG&E Alerts for Account Holders
· PG&E Zip Code Alerts for non-account holders (sign up for your school’s zip code) |
Here are some additional links with important resources to assist you in being prepared at home.
| · www.ReadyMarin.org | · PG&E 7-Day Power Shutoff Potential |
In summary, I am taking this occasion to assure you that we have protective systems in place, we are prepared as a staff, and we will continue to be proactive in our efforts to keep our students safe and secure during any disruption of power. Please feel free to contact me at any time if you have questions or suggestions.
Kris Cosca, Ed D
Superintendent
How to Be Prepared for Power Shutoffs
An important message from the City of Novato, Novato Police and Novato Fire
Local agencies coordinating best practices in the event of a Public Safety Power Shutfoff (PSPS)
Post Date:09/20/2019 10:26 AM
PG&E will potentially turn off power to fire prone areas during extreme weather events as a safety precaution. This is known as a Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS). While a PSPS is more likely to occur in high fire-risk areas, all residents could be impacted by emergency events and need to be prepared with a plan and an emergency kit. Once we are notified of a pending power shutoff, we will send information to the community with the anticipated duration of the outage, as provided by PG&E. Power outages could last multiple days, depending on the severity of weather conditions and other factors.
We may also open Power Resource Sites that will provide places for the community to gather in a cool facility and be able to recharge devices during daytime hours.
WHAT TO EXPECT
The decision and action to turn off power is made by PG&E and is based on a combination of factors:
• High winds (including Red Flag Warnings declared by the National Weather Service)
• Low humidity
• Dry vegetation
• Conditions on the ground
SAFETY TIPS FOR PSPS EVENTS
UPDATE CONTACT INFORMATION: Sign up for important outage alerts from PG&E.
FUEL UP, CHARGE UP, and CASH UP as banks and gas stations will not have power.
SIGN UP: NIXLE and ALERT MARIN Public Safety Notification Systems for yourself and family members.
BACKUP CHARGING METHODS: For phones and keep hard copies of emergency numbers.
MEDICAL NEEDS: Make a plan for any medications that need to be refrigerated or devices that require power and speak with a medical provider on what might be needed.
PETS: Plan for the needs of pets and livestock, food, water, medicine, identification tags and collars, medical records, photos, etc.
EMERGENCY KIT: Be ready to go with food, water, flashlights, fresh batteries, first aid supplies, radio and cash.
EMERGENCY MEETING LOCATION: Designate an emergency meeting location in case of separation from loved ones or need for safety.
KNOW: How to manually open garage doors.
BACKUP GENERATORS: Ensure they are ready to safely operate, i.e., fuel, location near home, etc.
IDENTIFY: Any unique needs of your family and loved ones in the area for your emergency plan .
LEARN MORE:
prepareforpowerdown.com
novato.org/powershutoff