Downed power line briefly wreaks havoc in Sebastopol

A brief power failure in Sebastopol on Wednesday afternoon caused traffic jams and forced stores to temporarily close, inconveniencing shoppers preparing for Thanksgiving meals.

A driver hit a pole, downing a power line around 4 p.m., according to PG&E. The power failure affected more than 4,000 electricity customers. Power was restored in less than an hour, but offline traffic lights snarled traffic through downtown Sebastopol and along Highway 12 toward Santa Rosa.

“It’s horrendous,” Police Chief Jeff Weaver said. “It’s 4:40 on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. How bad can it be?”

Without power, Whole Foods was forced to briefly shut its doors during one of its busiest times.

“It got pretty crazy there,” said Shauna Cooke, a Whole Foods worker.

Shopper Shalini McMurdo, who was searching for pumpkin pie ingredients, was disappointed to be turned away from Whole Foods on Wednesday afternoon. She said she would try another grocery store.

“It’s pretty chaotic on the streets,” she said.

- Matt Brown and Jamie Hansen