SMUD is paying some residents who lost power during Sacramento winter storms. Do you qualify?
Sacramento Municipal Utility District customers who lost power during California’s winter storms have until June to submit a claim for food spoilage or hotel bills.
January’s extreme weather came in waves, one storm more aggressive than the other, whipping out power to thousands of people at a time.
You could claim up to $500 for food loss if your power was shut off for 12 hours or more and you have proof of economic loss, said SMUD spokeswoman Lindsay VanLaningham. Those who moved to a hotel to wait out a more than 48-hour power outage could be compensated $150 per day for lodging expenses.
The cutoff to file a claim is six months after an event, she said, which for early January storms would be June 7.
The utility, which provides power to Sacramento County and parts of Placer County, has records of who was without power and for how long.
Your job is to come up with the proof that you lost food or housing.
The company is looking for evidence like receipts or pictures. A food receipt could verify your grocery purchases or a picture inside your refrigerator may suffice.
More than 2,350 customers with approved claims were already mailed a letter requesting their signature to distribute the money.
Those who signed the liability release, which waives their right to sue SMUD, should receive a check in two to three weeks.
Moving forward, the utility’s claims process will remain the same: evaluate the incident, assess damages and determine compensation. A decision is made within 30 to 45 days but complex claims could take more time.
The waiver process, VanLaningham said, is a standard procedure. There are no pending storm outage-related lawsuits “at this time.”
SMUD is not liable for damages brought on by natural events, VanLaningham said, but decided in January to offer money to customers on a case-by-case basis out of “community goodwill.”
There wasn’t a “call-out” to submit claims. Instead, outreach focused on vulnerable customers as well as those who called SMUD with concerns of extended outages or severe hardships.
Claims are still being processed.
Claim forms are available on SMUD’s website. Questions and updates should be directed to 916-732-5018.
PG&E customers
Some Pacific Gas and Electrical Company residential customers affected by California’s winter storms are still waiting on payments.
Those who went without power for 48 hours or more qualified for between $25 and $100 under the California gas company’s Safety Net program, according to the PG&E website.
The program, separate from the company’s claim process which typically excludes storm power outages, dishes automatic payments between 60 to 120 days after the event.
Payments are dependent on the length of the outage:
48 to 72 hours - $25
72 to 96 hours - $50
96 to 120 hours - $75
120 hours or more - $100
Spokesman Paul Moreno with PG&E said in an email to The Bee that qualifying customers affected by the storms in December received their payments in March.
Those affected by the January storms should expect their payments in May.
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