The high temperatures have gripped the state’s power grid, and PG&E warned last week of blackouts across California.
During the Flex Alert, Californians should continue:
Newsom said conservation efforts were successful in preventing strikes on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday, but PG&E said outages are likely to continue.
RELATED: PG&E interactive map tells you if you lose power during CA rotating outages
Amid record-breaking heat, firefighters are also battling hundreds of burns in California, several of which were caused by lightning strikes. Newsom said there are currently 367 fires burning in the state, 23 of which are widespread.
The governor on Tuesday declared a state of emergency to access more resources for fire crews.
“California and its federal and local partners are working in lockstep to meet the challenge and remain vigilant in the face of continuing dangerous weather conditions,” he said.
By declaring a state of emergency, Newsom is able to meet many of the legal and environmental requirements to move things around. The state, for example, does not have to go through lengthy bidding processes to spend money on projects or equipment to prevent fires and meets certain environmental restrictions. His emergency order spends money already allocated by the legislature.
RELATED: Evacuations ordered as wildfire in Northern California explodes last night
California also has the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Two counties fell off the list of state supervisors and the decline in hospitalizations and ICU admissions continued.
In the last two weeks, hospitalizations were down 17% and ICU rates were down 13%. The positivity level of the state is 6.6%.
Central California counties remain on the state’s waiting list.
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