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After the shaking stops and you’re sure everyone around you is safe, take a few moments to analyze your situation. The first thing you should ask yourself: Do you smell natural gas?
If so, there may be a leak and there’s no time to waste.
Keep in mind that only the utility can turn your gas back on, so if you do turn things off, it will likely take a few days to get the gas pumping again.
What you’ll need: A gas shutoff wrench or an ordinary pipe or crescent wrench (that you hopefully keep next to your gas main).
How can you tell when gas is leaking? If you smell a sulfur-like rotten egg smell, that’s natural gas. The gas company adds a compound so you can tell if there’s a leak.
How to turn off gas after an Earthquake:Find your gas meter and shutoff valve. Hopefully you already know where this stuff is. If not, try looking in the following locations: the side or in front of the building. Next to, or in that utility box on the side of the building if you live in an apartment building. Talk to your landlord ahead of time and ask for the location.
Once you’ve located your gas meter, turn the valve tang (the flat metal bit that fits in your wrench) 90 degrees so it is crosswise to the pipe.
That’s it! Now that it’s off, you’ll have to wait for your utility company to turn it back on.