Community Corner

PG&E: Power Outages Spike at Valentine's Day

Mylar balloons that fly away get tangled on power lines and cause outages.


Come mid-February, PG&E has a new nemesis — those shiny, heart-shaped, metallic-looking balloons. 

Mylar balloons have caused hundreds of power outages over the years, with the number increasing by more than 100 percent since 2003. 

According to PG&E, balloons that are let loose often get entangled in power lines, causing the power to cut, disrupting neighborhoods and can threatening to cause serious injury. 

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The chart below (also in the photos section) shows the growing number of balloon-related power outages over the last decade.

Year Balloon-related power outages 2003 129 2006 142 2009 213 2012 288

So this Valentine’s Day, public works crews and PG&E ask you to tie those balloons to something safe, or keep them inside and deflate them once the holiday is over.

Find out what's happening in Mill Valleywith free, real-time updates from Patch.

And remember, just because balloon goes flat doesn't mean your love has.


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