The anticipated storm has finally made its way to the Central Coast Monday, and local agencies are preparing for the aftermath in the next few days.
PG&E and a local tree trimming company, Greenvale Tree Company, both say they expect this storm to keep them very busy.
"Oh yeah, we are going to get a lot of calls. It all depends on the amount of wind and rain we see," said Steve Franzmann, Greenvale Tree Company owner.
He says that moisture in the soil and winds over 60 mph will cause trees to topple over, but limb breakage can be caused by a lot less.
Downed trees, wind and rain can cause a ripple effect of damage, especially when it comes to power outages.
According to PG&E, during this rainstorm, there’s an even higher chance for tree breakage because of the lack of rain we’ve seen.
"Due to the drought-intensified conditions, trees can be further weakened and then the wind can cause problems and that makes our equipment even more susceptible to the risk of issues with trees," said Mark Mesesan, PG&E Communications Representative.
Both Mesesan and Franzmann say being proactive is key.
"It's when you wait and trees are really heavy and overloaded that you head into problems," Franzmann warned.
As of 4:30 p.m. Monday, PG&E reported more than 4,000 customers in San Luis Obispo and Sana Barbara counties were experiencing weather-related outages.
Three-thousand of those are customers in the San Luis Obispo area.
"We plan and prepare for storms like this and we ask our customers to do the same thing in case the power does go out," Mesesan said.
To find a list of safety and preparedness tips you can head to PG&E's website.
