UPDATE | Power was restored to all residents in Long Beach yesterday after the city’s second power outage, the City of Long Beach announced in a tweet Sunday evening and a release issued Saturday night. 

Power was restored in full to all Southern California Edison (SCE) customers at approximately 5:00PM Saturday, August 1, according to a release.  At its peak, the power outage affected around 30,000 downtown residents. 

The plan to use generators to restore power to the 200 residents still affected by the power outage Friday was largely successful, according to the release. It restored power to 190 of the 260 customers left without power. The city continued to move residents’ power back to the grid while making use of generator power, restoring power in full by 5:00PM Saturday. 

SCE crews, accompanied by the LBPD, inspected all but four of 300 underground vaults in downtown Long Beach Friday to identify further challenges that could cause power outages.

PREVIOUSLY: Edison to Distribute Generators to Residents Without Power Based on Need

07/31/15 at 4:58PM: Southern California Edison officials are expected to provide generators to some of the Downtown Long Beach residents affected by the area’s power outage, an SCE official told the Post Friday afternoon.

Generators will be prioritized to senior citizens and those living in high-rise apartments. 

Authorities said most of the 260 customers without power are expected to get service between 6:00PM and 10:00PM Friday. However, due to the extensive damage found by Edison crews, some will be without power throughout the night.

Edison is encouraging customers to conserve electricity as crews try to get the network system fully operational, officials said. The inspection of more than 300 underground vaults continues as crews check for abnormal conditions.

If any additional issues are found, Edison may need to conduct subsequent outages for crews to investigate problem areas. The cause of the power outages are unknown at the time and no specific restoration time has been given.

Authorities continue to advise residents to use flashlights instead of candles and treat all non-operational street lights as four-way stops.

PREVIOUSLY: LIVE UPDATES:More Roads Expected to Close as Edison Crews Continue to Test Electrical Vaults in Long Beach

7/31/15 at 4:10PM | Several streets may be impacted by road or lane closures in downtown Long Beach as Southern California Edison crews continue to test multiple underground electrical vaults at various stages throughout the area, Long Beach Police Department officials reported Friday afternoon. 

According to a press release by the LBPD, Ocean Boulevard is now open between Cherry and Magnolia Avenues and is expected to stay open. However, for the next few hours Broadway Street north to 7th Street and Magnolia Avenue east to Alamitos Boulevard will be impacted. 

City officials are also reporting Long Beach Fire Department officials are delivering ice and water to impacted residents on Locust Avenue and performing wellness checks.

PREVIOUSLY: LIVE UPDATES: Extensive Damage May Leave Some Long Beach Customers Without Power Overnight, Edison Officials Say

7/31/15 at 3:32PM | Southern California Edison officials are reporting that due to extensive damage some customers in downtown Long Beach may remain without power Friday overnight. 

Between 6:00PM and 10:00PM Friday, Crews will attempt to restore power to some of the 260 customers—including businesses and residents—still without power after an underground vault fire interrupted service to some 30,000 SCE customers in Long Beach Thursday afternoon, SCE officials said via Twitter.

The effected area as of Friday afternoon is bounded by Lily to the north, Pacific to the west, Tribune to the east and Nardo Way to the south.

PREVIOUSLY: LIVE UPDATES: Road Closures in Parts of Downtown Long Beach as SCE Inspects Vaults

7/31/15 at 1:50PM | As Southern California Edison crews inspect more than 300 underground vaults Friday in downtown Long Beach, city officials are warning residents of road closures causing congestion. 

The Long Beach Police Department are advising motorists to avoid Ocean Boulevard from Magnolia Avenue to Cherry Avenue as SCE crews check the electrical vaults. 

Authorities previously stated if no additional problems were found, power is expected to return to all Long Beach SCE customers by 6:00PM Friday. 

PREVIOUSLY: LIVE UPDATES: All But 260 Edison Customers Have Power in Long Beach; Full Restoration Expected By Friday Evening

7/31/15 at 10:00AM | Only about 260 customers are still without power in the northern area of downtown Long Beach as of Friday morning, Edison officials announced via Twitter, with power expected to return to the affected area by 6:00PM if no additional problems are found.

At 10:00AM Friday, 50 two-man Edison crews are scheduled to canvass the downtown Long Beach area to conduct detailed inspections of more than 300 vaults, David Song of Southern California Edison said via Twitter. 

PREVIOUSLY: LIVE UPDATES: Power Restored to All But 400 SCE Customers Still Without Power in Long Beach

As of 10:24PM Thursday, power has been restored to all but 400 Southern California Edison (SCE) customers in Long Beach, SCE announced via Twitter.

PREVIOUSLY: LIVE UPDATES: Power Restored to All But 1,000 SCE Customers Still Without Power in Long Beach

As of 7:58PM Thursday, power has been restored to all but around 1,000 Southern California Edison (SCE) customers in Long Beach, SCE announced via Twitter. 

During an 8:00PM press conference, officials stated that only about 1,000 customers remained without power, centered primarily on the northern part of Pine Avenue downtown Long Beach.

About 30,000 SCE customers in Long Beach were without power for several hours Thursday afternoon.

Officials said that at 4:45PM on Thursday there was an underground vault fire on 10th Street, between Locust and Pine Avenue, that resulted in a power outage in the area roughly bounded by Spring Avenue to Shoreline Drive and from Santa Fe Avenue to Alamitos Avenue.

Two manhole covers exploded as a result of the fire, with the second manhole cover partially damaging a home. 

pwrout2“There is no estimated time frame for restoration of services until SCE crews can conduct an adequate assessment,” Long Beach mayor spokeswoman Rachael Tanner.

According to Kerry Gerot, crisis communications spokeswoman for the city, Special Olympics activities should not be affected because of the location and time of day of the activities. 

Fire officials said shelter with food and water will be available at Cesar Chavez Park at 11:00PM. 

The city’s Community Emergency Response Team has been activated to help with outreach efforts, including helping residents at senior living facilities. 

Authorities urge residents to remain diligent, use flashlights and treat all intersections as four-way stops. 

“Be as prepared as possible,” Mayor Robert Garcia said.

Residents in Downtown Long Beach took to social media to express anger and confusion as soon as the power went out Thursday evening. 

One local owner of a health care center expressed concern over the possible expiration of vaccines, stating that more than $1,000 worth of vaccines were thrown away as a result of the power outage two weeks ago. 

“For myself, I lose the money, but I’m not harmed. But for seniors, they are harmed. And there’s no excuse that there’s a cardiac arrest because of the screwball system,” the woman, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Post. 

“We’re not treating this lightly,” said SCE Vice President of Transmission, Substations and Operations Paul Grigaux at an evening press conference. “This is of concern to us.”

Edison officials did not know the cause of Thursday’s vault explosion, and said they are still investigating the cause of Downtown Long Beach’s power outage two weeks ago. 

Above, left, SCE Vice President of Transmission, Substations and Operations Paul Grigaux speaks to media as Mayor Robert Garcia looks on, Thursday night during a news conference in Downtown Long Beach. 

This story was updated on Thursday, July 30 at 9:26PM.

DSC 1199

Photos by Asia Morris.

PREVIOUSLY: Power Partially Restored, 7,500 SCE Customers Still Without Power in Long Beach

Power has been restored, at least for the time being, to all but around 7,500 Southern California Edison customers in Long Beach, the City Manager’s officer announced moments ago via Twitter. 

Some 30,000 were without power earlier in the day, as three underground vault explosions caused fires which ultimately lead to the second widespread blackout in the area in as may weeks. 

PREVIOUSLY: Underground Vault Explosions Leave Around 30K Long Beach SCE Customers Without Power

Shortly before 5:00PM Thursday, three underground vault explosions rocked downtown Long Beach, leaving an estimated 30,000 people without power.

Crews from Southern California Edison and the Long Beach Fire Department were dispatched to the intersection of 10th Street and Pine Ave to investigate the extent of the damage, with early reports stating the power outage is expected to last into Friday.

DSC 1127Thursday’s power outage caused by explosions and the resulting fires is the second such occurrence in a little over two weeks to leave a large portion of the Downtown area without power. However, this most recent outage is reportedly affecting about ten times as many SCE customers than were left without power during the nearly 4-day-outage earlier this month.

In an attempt to contain the problem and safely figure out the extent of the damage and necessary repairs, SCE shut down the Cherry Substation, resulting in the long-spanning blackouts.

Mayor Robert Garcia, responding to a tweet from SCE stating that 30,000 residents in the city were scheduled to be without power until at least Friday, tweeted out one word; “UNACCEPTABLE.” 

DSC 1134City officials and SCE are urging those in affected areas to remain cautious and to treat all intersections with non-operating signals are four-way stops. They city’s Community Emergency Response Team has been dispatched to the affected intersections with flashlights and bottled water.

The Long Beach Fire Department reported at about 7:00PM Thursday that no active fires or injuries have been reported.

One reader told the Post via Twitter that she was stuck in an elevator for over an hour due to the outage.

Stephanie Rivera is the community engagement editor. Reach her at [email protected] or on Twitter at @StephRivera88.