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California Faces 'Potentially Historic' Winds, Huge Power Shutoffs

VOA News

   California is bracing for "extreme" and "potentially historic" winds,
   the National Weather Service warned Saturday. State officials in the
   wine region ordered evacuation of at least 50,000 more people as a
   nearby wildfire continuedto burn.
   In addition, millions more California residents will face power outages
   as utility company Pacific Gas &Electric decided Saturday afternoon to
   beginmasspower shutoffs. The shutoffs will affect nearly 1 million
   customers, affecting nearly 3 million people, andwillinclude San
   Francisco, California's wine country and the Sierrafoothills.
   In the past month, PG&E has shut down power to thousands of consumersto
   tryto contain the spread of the fires. PG&E is in bankruptcy because of
   liability from recent major wildfires, including one last year that
   killed 85 people in the northern California town of Paradise.
   Forecasters said hot, dry winds, some asstrongas 112 kph (70 mph),were
   expected to start late Saturday and last into Monday in the San
   Francisco BayArea. The National Weather Service warned the winds, often
   called Santa Ana or Diablo winds, might be a record event.

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