Excessive heat was causing dozens of power outages throughout the Southland this weekend, affecting thousands of customers, according to utility officials.
As of noon Saturday, Southern California Edison was reporting 53 outage in Los Angeles County affecting over 6,400 customers, and three in Orange County affecting 170 customers.
The Los Angeles Department of Water and Power was reporting over two dozen outages that were affecting a couple thousand customers.
LADWP customers can check the locations and status of outages at ladwp.com/outages, and SCE customers can get updates at sce.com/outage-center/check-outage-status.
Los Angeles officials were urging DWP customers to report power outages to 800-DIAL DWP (800-342-5397) or ladwp.com/outages immediately. The DWP needs the real-time information to deploy crews to restore electricity as quickly as possible.
SCE customers can report an outage at sce.com/outage-center/report-an-outage.
Residents are also urged to conserve power during the peak afternoon and early evening hours to avoid blackouts.
“Stay safe and cool by adjusting your thermostats to 78,” the DWP advised. “If you’re away from your home, turn your AC systems off.”
The utility also recommends using major appliances such as washing machines, vacuum cleaners, and dishwashers before 4 p.m. or after 9 p.m., or not at all if possible until the heat waves passes.
Students at USC and nearby homes lost power around 9:30 p.m. Friday, and other outages cut power to thousands more in the surrounding areas, including Mount St. Mary’s University, West Adams and Exposition Park.
“Many university buildings have generators that provide emergency power to critical equipment such as fire alarms and emergency lighting, not for normal electrical outlets,” the university wrote in the alert.