During 24 hour Public Safety Power Shutoff, EPD Communications dispatched 276 incidents

During the near 24-hour Public Safety Power Shutoff (PSPS) which began on October 9, 2019, the Eureka Police Department Communications Center dispatched 276 incidents, about 28% more than a typical Wednesday. This included calls for service and self- initiated incidents for both Eureka Police and Humboldt Bay Fire Departments.



Due to the power outage, non-functioning traffic controls, street lights, alarm systems, etc. created concerns regarding theft and traffic safety. In actuality during the 24-hour period of the power shutdown, there was an increase of false alarms. There
were nearly 40 false alarm activations at businesses and residences, when the typical day in Eureka has about 5 alarm activations on average.

As far as thefts, there were three burglaries during this event (one commercial burglary and two vehicle burglaries).In the area of traffic collisions there were 5 collisions handled during the power shutdown, this is within normal daily averages.

The Eureka Police Department would like to take this opportunity to thank the public for their assistance during this event especially in the areas of proper use of 9-1-1 and also being more cautious in their driving during the PSPS.

The Eureka Police Department encourages its citizens to take this incident as an opportunity to assess how prepared you and your family were during this event. This is a good time to improve your preparations for any future power failures or natural disasters.