Dear LBNL Colleagues,
Two Lab sites, the main hill site in Berkeley and the Joint Genome Institute in Walnut Creek, have been notified that they are in geographic zones with a high likelihood of being affected by a PG&E public safety power shutdown (PSPS) this weekend. This expectation is based on weather forecasts of extremely high winds and dry conditions.
A power shutoff is expected as early as Saturday 1 p.m. and we will be advised by PG&E when the power will be restored.
In order to prepare, the main hill site and JGI will be closed to all except those performing essential shut down operations as of Saturday, Oct. 26 at 7 a.m. Once the Lab is closed, Blackberry Gate will be the only gate for entrance and exit to the Lab.
Because weather conditions can change, a decision to close Lab facilities for a longer time period will be made as the situation develops.
The Lab’s Emergency Operations Center will be activated this afternoon to begin preparation. Facilities teams are staging equipment such as generators today, and EH&S teams are working with laboratories to begin safe shutdown procedures in a timely manner.
We ask that you start preparing in the following ways:
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Release your time to your manager by noon today.
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Managers, please approve the time by 1 p.m. today. This will allow the CFO to process time for the monthly payroll before there is a possible loss of power.
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Before you leave work today, prepare your workspace as you would prior to the annual holiday break. This means cleaning out breakroom refrigerators of perishables; powering off computers, monitors, and peripherals; and turning off lights and closing all windows and doors when you leave.
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For research laboratory and specialized facility operations, work with your line manager on shutdown preparations. These guidelines can help get you started.
We will continue to provide information on the operations of the Lab at status.lbl.gov, as well as on 1-800-445-5830 and on the Lab’s new Twitter handle for time-critical updates, @LBNLstatus. Please recheck these resources through the weekend for the latest information.
Michael Brandt
Deputy Director, Operations and
Chief Operation Officer