PSPS Power Shutoffs in Southern California: How to Prepare Your Home

Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS) have gone from rare emergency events to a near-annual reality across Southern California. SCE, LADWP, and the other utilities now preemptively shut off power during high-risk weather to prevent fire ignition from downed or damaged lines. If you live anywhere in the wildland-urban interface — which in LA includes most of the Valley foothills — you need a PSPS plan.

Step 1: Sign Up for Utility Alerts

Both SCE and LADWP offer email and SMS alerts for PSPS events. Sign up at sce.com/psps or ladwp.com. You'll typically get 48-hour, 24-hour, and 1-hour warnings before a shutoff.

Step 2: Know Your Circuits

When your panel is properly labeled, you know exactly what a generator or battery backup can power. If your breakers say "circuit 12" and "circuit 13" instead of "kitchen fridge" and "master bedroom," now's the time to fix that. We do panel relabeling as part of any service call — it takes about 30 minutes.

Step 3: Essential Supplies

• Flashlights and LED lanterns (not candles — actual fire risk)
• Fresh batteries or a rechargeable power station
• Manual can opener
• Battery or solar phone charger
• 3+ days of non-perishable food
• Bottled water (1 gallon per person per day)
• First aid kit
• Cash (ATMs and card readers don't work during outages)
• Paper list of important phone numbers

Step 4: Prep Your Fridge and Freezer

A full freezer holds temperature for about 48 hours unopened. A half-full freezer, about 24 hours. Fridge, about 4 hours. Strategy: freeze bottles of water ahead of PSPS warnings, transfer frozen items to the fridge if needed, keep doors closed.

Step 5: Medical Equipment

If anyone in your household depends on electric medical equipment (CPAP, oxygen concentrator, dialysis, insulin refrigeration), you need a backup power plan before you need it. Options, in order of reliability:

• Whole-home generator — automatic, seamless, best for longer outages. See our generator sizing guide.
• Home battery (Tesla Powerwall, Enphase) — silent, solar-chargeable, limited runtime without solar refill
• Portable generator — cheaper but requires setup, fuel storage, and can't safely run inside
• Portable power station (EcoFlow, Jackery) — good for CPAP or small devices, not whole-house loads

Step 6: Garage Door Manual Override

Every LA garage has a red pull cord that disconnects the opener so you can lift the door by hand. Find it now, practice using it. You don't want to discover yours is stuck during an outage.

Step 7: Protect Your Electronics

Power outages are hard on electronics — but the power coming back on is harder. Voltage fluctuations and surges as the grid restores can damage refrigerators, HVAC, TVs, and computers. A whole-home surge protector at the main panel is the best defense. Individual point-of-use surge protectors add a second layer for expensive electronics.

Step 8: Have a Communication Plan

Cell towers have backup batteries but many fail after 24–48 hours without grid power. Download offline maps. Print out key addresses. Identify where cell service stays reliable in your area if you need to reach family or emergency services.

Step 9: Know When to Leave

PSPS is a fire-risk event. If conditions deteriorate or an actual fire starts, you need to be ready to evacuate. Pre-pack a go-bag with essentials, documents, and medications. Identify two evacuation routes from your neighborhood.

Step 10: The Generator Conversation

For about 30% of our clients, a standby generator is the right answer. For others, a Tesla Powerwall or a portable power station is enough. The honest truth: if you're regularly affected by PSPS events, the generator pays for itself in peace of mind and avoided hotel stays within 2–3 seasons. For the clients who've called us after sitting in the dark for 36 hours, the decision makes itself.

Want to evaluate your home's PSPS readiness? The owner does walk-throughs across the Valley and Ventura County. Call 818-852-4910. Serving Calabasas, Porter Ranch, Simi Valley, and more.