By Hannah Grover
Editor’s note: This story has been updated throughout the day with the latest closures and updates from PNM and local officials. Check back often for the latest.
3:30 pm: As of 3:30 pm, PNM announced that they no longer planned to cut power to this area. Read more here.
The Public Service Company of New Mexico plans to shut off power to 10,000 customers in the East Mountains at noon due to high wind conditions that could make utility equipment more likely to start a fire.
Michael Mertz, senior vice president of operations, announced those plans during a media briefing Thursday morning.
In a notice PNM sent out Wednesday, the utility warned customers that the power would not be restored until Friday. That will allow PNM workers to investigate infrastructure and look for any wind-related damage.
Mertz said PNM continues to monitor the weather and, if conditions change, the power outage may not be needed.
While initially PNM planned to shut off power to the Santa Fe and Cochiti Lake areas as well as the Las Vegas area, officials say that will not happen. However, PNM is making changes to the system to prevent lines from re-energizing if the power is interrupted.
Should the conditions change in ways that allow PNM to forego the public safety power shutoff, the East Mountains system will also be altered so that lines do not reenergize if power is interrupted.
Bernalillo County announced just before the shutoff that it is adjusting services on Thursday and Friday.
Several Bernalillo County services will be closed, including the Los Vecinos Community Center, Vista Grande Community Center and Whispering Pines Senior Center. However, meals will still be available for pick-up at Whispering Pines Senior Center on Friday. Parents and guardians of children in after-school programs at these locations should make alternative arrangements.
Bernalillo County Emergency Management Director Thomas Walmsley said community centers outside the impacted area will remain open for East Mountains residents.
The East Mountain Transfer Station will stay open but only accept cash during the outage. Residents affected by the outage can access WiFi at any other Bernalillo County community center, both inside the facilities and from the parking lots.
Albuquerque Public Schools instituted a voluntary dismissal for A. Montoya Elementary, San Antonito Elementary and Roosevelt Middle School Thursday. There will also be a two-hour delay for those schools on Friday.
APS said it will inform parents as soon as possible if other changes to Friday’s school schedule are needed.
Law enforcement, fire rescue and emergency response services will continue operating normally. PNM monitors conditions and restores power when safe, but inspections and repairs may extend outage times. PNM also advises that power disruptions outside of the designated shutoff area are possible due to the severity of the expected storm.