Californians see the best and worst of what mother nature has to offer. Our natural resources and climate are unparalleled, but we also live with the constant reminder of the most devastating natural disasters: earthquakes. Often the major cause of damage from earthquakes is fire resulting from ruptured gas lines.
Earthquakes Create Destructive Fires
We Californians see the best and worst of what mother nature has to offer. Our natural resources and climate are unparalleled, but we also live with the constant reminder of the most devastating natural disasters: earthquakes.
Often the major cause of damage from earthquakes is fire resulting from ruptured gas lines. After an earthquake, resources such as water mains and municipal (or volunteer) Fire Departments are often compromised or unavailable. In addition other forms of gas leaks (construction mishaps, etc) can also cause a fire or explosion.
Of course the best case is to prevent loss of life and damage to your home.
For example, 90 percent of the $500 million in damage from the 1906 earthquake came from fires following the quake, not the quake itself. According to the US Geological survey, there were a total of 3,683 earthquakes registered in the United States in the year 2005, which measured between 1.0 and 7.0 on the Ritcher Scale. Not surprisingly, the western states are the country’s most at-risk regions; Oregon and Washington account for 84 percent of the expected annual losses, and California alone accounts for $3.3 billion of the estimated damage costs. Statistics and analyses from experts based on geological surveys of the areas indicate that there is a 70 percent chance the “big one,” an earthquake greater than 7.0 magnitude is probable within the next 30 years.
How to Prevent Gas Line Related Fires
Until recently, homeowners and managers were advised to keep a wrench next to the shut-off valve on their gas line (located outside at the meter), so that if an earthquake were to occur, someone could rush to the valve, find the wrench and turn off the gas supply before a fire or explosion occurs. However it is probably not a very likely scenario that a homeowner or manager will have both the time and ability to achieve this after an earthquake strikes.
To remove the challenge and worry, the valve industry has developed an automatic gas shut-off valve as a means to prevent fires from gas leaks. These devices automatically close the flow of natural gas into your home following an earthquake. There are two options available on the market: Seismic and Excess Flow activated valves. In both cases, the valve will detect an uneven flow of gas or a seismic event and automatically will shut off the flow. These valve devices are both small and inexpensive.
Once the leak in the gas line is corrected, the valve can be reset, ready again to provide “peace of mind in earthquake country.” A homeowner’s responsibility at this point would be to relight all the pilot lights throughout the household. Several insurance companies now require installation of the valves for newly written homeowner’s policies within certain zip codes. And some cities and counties are also requiring use of such valves. We all are cognizant of the fact that we must strap water heaters to the wall and install smoke alarms as a matter of safety. Installation of a gas shut-off valve is just another safety step in earthquake preparedness.
Pete Sacco is vice president of sales and operations for Safety Valve Installation located in Campbell, Ca.