UPDATE:
Costco will be up and running on generators, as will
Walmart and
Target.
Ferndale's
Valley Grocery plans to stay open with the generator running.
Just like during the last blackout,
Iłwai kiliwh market in Hoopa will be open and running on a generator.
CC Market in Rio Dell will not only be open during the outage but still has ice.
PREVIOUSLY: Once again, a planned
PG&E power outage has local markets hooking up generators, hunting for diesel, shuttling their inventory into locked freezers and unloading perishables. Here's a working list of which ones will be open when the lights go out on Saturday. (Not sure what you need? Check your pantry against this list of recommended
supplies.)
While the Eureka
WinCo Foods shut down for the last blackout, Director of Corporate Communications Noah Fleisher said over the phone, “Winco will be open and able to serve the community during the blackout.” An extra generator will keep the stock cold and the lights and registers on.
click to enlarge
Eureka Natural Foods is moving inventory ahead of the outage. “Right now actually we’re unleashing a 50 percent off sale on all our dairy, meat and frozen food in our McKinleyville store,” said store manager Tyson Ritter. Both the Eureka and McKinleyville stores will be open to sell dry goods during daylight hours once the power is out. Heads up — the Eureka store will have internet.
Over at the
North Coast Co-op stores in Eureka and Arcata, there won't be a repeat of the perishables fire sale from the
last shutdown. Plans are in the works for auxiliary refrigeration in the form of trucks. The marketing department's Alex Villagrana says, “We do plan to be open during the power outage,” though only during daylight hours. Like most stores, the plan is tentative and may change depending on how long the power is down.
Safeway stores around Humboldt are a mixed bag. Fortuna has refrigerated trucks but no generator, so while its stock will be secure, it will likely shut down when the lights cut out. McKinleyville is less certain, with orders from headquarters coming Saturday. Generator issues are making the opening of the Arcata Safeway uncertain, too. Eureka's branch, however, will be open and fully functioning so long as the generator that's en route shows up.
According to Dan Gustofson of
Ray’s Food Place's corporate headquarters, the Willow Creek, Arcata and Garberville outlets will be up and running, as will the Redway Shopsmart. It's unclear how many days worth of fuel are on hand but generators, he says, are ready to fire up at all the locations.
Myrtle Ave Market will close once the power shuts down, according to manager Matt Cunningham.
Murphy’s Markets, however, will all be open and running on generators while the diesel lasts, though the smart money is on Trinidad for the last one standing — it's got the heftiest generator.
If you've got stores to add to the list, let us know and we'll verify and update as information comes in.