California

Will SoCal Edison Pay for Thanksgiving Food Gone Bad During Shutoffs? Here's What to Know

Southern California Edison will shut down electricity in particularly wind-prone areas from time to time as a preemptive measure.

Heather Navarro | Getty

Southern California Edison shut off power to thousands, with more than 120,000 others under consideration for a shutoff, to reduce the risk of wildfires being sparked by wind-damaged electrified power lines over the Thanksgiving holiday. That meant a lot of people lost fridges of Thanksgiving food when the power went out. You may be able to get some money back for that.

SoCal Edison shut off power to thousands, with more than 120,000 others under consideration for a shutoff, to reduce the risk of wildfires being sparked by wind-damaged electrified power lines over the Thanksgiving holiday.

Southern California Edison will shut down electricity in particularly wind-prone areas from time to time as a preemptive measure.

As of noon Friday, more than 20,000 SCE customers were under a power shutoff. Those shutoffs included customers in Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside and San Bernardino counties. By Friday afternoon, Orange County seemed to have power restored. 

For some, that meant that fridges full of food -- fuller than usual considering the foodie-centric holiday -- may have gone bad. 

SoCal Edison confirmed that there is a claims process, and some customers might be able to get money back for food loss. 

SoCal Edison said each claim is evaluated on a case-by-case basis. 

SCE also said that anytime there’s an outage, a customer can submit a claim

There is no cap on the amount that customers could potentially receive back. 

Here’s the process. 

Documents you may need:

  • For claims regarding food loss: itemized list detailing spoiled food, with receipts or documentation of cost.
  • For claims regarding miscellaneous losses: Hotel and restaurant receipts, car rental receipts

For other claims, see this site.

Helpful tips:

  • Retain copies of all receipts and documentation that you submit
  • Do all that you can to minimize your loss and damages, (such as by obtaining ice to prevent food spoilage during an outage)
  • Please make sure that losses or expenses incurred are not accumulating unnecessarily

How to Submit a Claim

Make sure to gather all documents first and make copies.

Submit Your Claim Online. There’s a four-step process. You can upload images and files to support your claim. 

You can also submit the claim by mail. Get the residential or business claim form (PDF) at these links.

Read more here.

Email: claims@sce.com 

Fax: (626) 569-2573

U.S. Mail: Southern California Edison Company, Attn: Claims Department, P.O. Box 900, Rosemead, CA 91770

Just be sure to not double up and submit online and by mail. 

Strong winds have caused power outages and causing more fire danger. Robert Kovacik reports for the NBC4 News at 11 p.m. on Nov. 24, 2021.
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