When reading an SCE Public Safety Power Shutoff map, do not automatically add county customer counts into a unique regional total. SCE warns that circuits extending across county boundaries can cause customers to be counted in more than one county. A regional number also cannot establish whether your own home is affected.
As of October 25, 2026, at 8:05 p.m. Pacific, this is a preparedness explainer about interpreting official information, not a report of a newly confirmed blackout. Use the utility’s live, address-specific status for current decisions.
Read the label before the number
SCE’s outage-status page separates PSPS currently in effect from shutoffs being considered. Its notes say field and weather conditions change, data can be delayed, and county-circuit counting can produce an overcount where circuits span counties.
Keep those qualifications attached to any number you save or discuss. A count of customers under consideration is not a count of customers whose electricity has already been shut off. Nor should a customer count be relabeled as a count of individual people.
The map’s PSPS labels also should not be used as a total for every kind of outage. Maintenance work, unplanned interruptions and wildfire-related shutoffs are different categories. SCE’s PSPS explanation describes the wildfire-safety process; it does not make every interruption a PSPS event.
Why simple addition can mislead
Consider an invented example: a display lists 120 customers in one county and 80 in another. If the sets overlap, their sum of 200 is not necessarily 200 distinct customers. You cannot determine a corrected total without knowing the overlap.
The useful response is to preserve the utility’s wording and qualifications, rather than guessing how many accounts should be subtracted. These figures are arithmetic examples only, not current SCE outage data.
When reviewing a screenshot or forwarded message, check:
- Which utility and outage category does it describe?
- Does the label mean active, scheduled or under consideration?
- What date, time and time zone accompany the information?
- Are the figures county totals, a utility-wide figure or something else?
- Is the original official link available for a fresh check?
This is our reading checklist, not an official SCE reporting form. An image without its labels or timestamp can leave out the information needed to interpret it.
Bring the decision back to your home
Open SCE’s live outage page and check your service location. SCE’s help page directs customers to the outage map and estimated restoration information, with PSPS information available separately.
Do not use a smaller regional count as proof that your circuit has been restored. Follow the current utility record for your location and the equipment instructions for your battery. Our restoration-estimate guide covers planning when timing changes.
Pair information with realistic backup
A suitable solar-plus-battery PPA can help eligible homeowners prepare without an upfront equipment purchase. Ask for supported circuits, usable storage, power limits and operating support in writing. General battery guidance explains why available charge and connected loads limit duration. Ordinary grid-tied solar alone generally cannot provide outage power; solar recharging requires compatible backup equipment and sufficient sunlight.
The CPUC solar guide explains provider ownership and ongoing PPA electricity payments. Review qualification, rate, escalator, term, battery fees, maintenance and transfer provisions, plus remaining utility charges. No upfront purchase does not mean free electricity or guaranteed savings.
Bring your household backup priorities to a West Coast Alternatives consultation. Use official utility status for outage decisions; this article is not a live alert service.