SAN DIEGO, April 6, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- It's often said that the only two certainties in life are death and taxes. But in California there is a third: earthquakes. And, experts say the time to prepare is right now.
As the Southland kicks off Earthquake Safety Month, San Diego Gas & Electric (SDG&E) officials offer these safety tips to help reduce the possibility of injuries and damage to property that may occur during the next temblor:
Before an earthquake:
-- Follow the rules contained in current plumbing codes that
require securing water heaters to the wall studs to prevent
them from moving or toppling over. The water heater should
be fastened securely to the wall studs in two places -- the
upper and lower one-third of the tank -- with heavy bolts
and metal tape. A quake may cause an unsecured water heater
to move, possibly breaking the gas connectors, which may
result in a fire. The loss of a water heater also would
deprive a home of a valuable water source that may be needed
for cooking and drinking.
-- Replace semi-rigid (aluminum or copper) gas appliance
connectors with approved connectors made of corrugated
metal. These are less likely to crack during an
earthquake. Connectors and water heater strapping are
available at hardware and home improvement stores.
-- Have a 12-inch adjustable wrench handy to manually turn
off the gas meter should it be necessary.
-- Know where all the electrical panels are located in and
around the home and how to turn the electricity off in case
of emergency.
After an earthquake:
-- Do not turn off the gas meter after an earthquake unless
there is the smell or sound of gas escaping.
-- If there appears to be a leak at an appliance, it may be
stopped by turning off the valve between the appliance and
gas line. If this does not stop the leak, the gas should be
shut off at the meter.
-- If there is the smell or sound of gas escaping, the gas
should be manually turned off at the meter. Using an
adjustable wrench, make a quarter-turn of the valve, so it
is crosswise to the pipe. This will shut off the flow of gas.
(A diagram and instructions for turning off the gas meter are
printed in the "Survival Guide" section of most telephone
directory white pages and is also available at
www.socalgas.com).
-- If the gas is shut off at the meter, do not attempt to turn
it back on without the help of SDG&E or a licensed plumbing
or heating contractor. Interior gas piping and appliances must
be inspected for possible damage before service can be safely
restored.
-- Should there be a downed electrical line, do not touch the
line or other equipment. The line may still be energized and
dangerous. Call 911 and ask for the police department, fire
department rescue service or SDG&E.
-- If running an emergency electric generator during an outage,
do not connect it to another power source, such as SDG&E's
power lines. Doing so could result in death or serious injury
and also threaten any SDG&E employees on nearby power lines.
Plugging the generator back into the electric system also can
damage appliances.
SDG&E is a regulated public utility that provides safe and reliable energy service to three million consumers through 1.3 million electric meters and 800,000 natural gas meters in San Diego and southern Orange counties. Exceptional customer service is a priority of SDG&E as it seeks to enhance the region's quality of life. SDG&E is a regulated subsidiary of Sempra Energy (NYSE:SRE). Sempra Energy, based in San Diego, is a Fortune 500 energy services holding company. To learn more, go to www.sdge.com.